Changes in the users of the social‐ecological system around a reciprocal human‐dolphin relationship
Abstract In contrast to many contemporary negative human‐nature relationships, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities have stewarded nature through cultural practices that include reciprocal contributions for both humans and nature. A rare example is the century‐old artisanal fishery in which net‐...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-05-01
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| Series: | People and Nature |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10679 |
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| author | Mauricio Cantor Bruna Santos‐Silva Fábio G. Daura‐Jorge Alexandre M. S. Machado Débora Peterson Daiane X. da‐Rosa Paulo C. Simões‐Lopes João V. S. Valle‐Pereira Sofia Zank Natalia Hanazaki |
| author_facet | Mauricio Cantor Bruna Santos‐Silva Fábio G. Daura‐Jorge Alexandre M. S. Machado Débora Peterson Daiane X. da‐Rosa Paulo C. Simões‐Lopes João V. S. Valle‐Pereira Sofia Zank Natalia Hanazaki |
| author_sort | Mauricio Cantor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In contrast to many contemporary negative human‐nature relationships, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities have stewarded nature through cultural practices that include reciprocal contributions for both humans and nature. A rare example is the century‐old artisanal fishery in which net‐casting fishers and wild dolphins benefit by working together, but little is known about the persistence of the social‐ecological system formed around this cultural practice. Here, we frame the human‐dolphin cooperative fishery in southern Brazil as a social‐ecological system based on secondary data from the scientific and grey literature. To investigate the dynamics of this system, we survey the local and traditional ecological knowledge and examine potential changes in its main component—the artisanal fishers—over time and space. Over 16 years, we conducted four interview campaigns with 188 fishers in fishing sites that are more open (accessible) or closed (restricted) to external influence. We investigated their experience, engagement and economic dependence on dolphin‐assisted fishing, as well as the learning processes and transmission of the traditional knowledge required to cooperate with dolphins. Our qualitative data suggest that fishers using accessible and restricted fishing sites have equivalent fishing experience, but those in more restrictive sites tend to be more economically dependent on dolphins, relying on them for fishing year‐round. The traditional knowledge on how to cooperate with dolphins is mostly acquired via social learning, with a tendency for vertical learning to be frequent among fishers using sites more restrictive for outsiders. Experience, economic dependence and reliance on vertical learning seem to decrease recently, especially in the accessible site. Our quantitative analyses, however, suggest that some of these fluctuations were not significant. Our study outlines the key components of this social‐ecological system and identifies changes in the attributes of a main component, the users. These changes, when coupled with changes in other components such as governance and resource units (fish and dolphins), can have implications for the persistence of this cultural practice and the livelihoods of Local Communities. We suggest that continuous monitoring of this system can help to safeguard the reciprocal contributions of this human‐nature relationship in years to come. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-34fd0ea4033744d3bbf8c59807a4ad10 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2575-8314 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
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| series | People and Nature |
| spelling | doaj-art-34fd0ea4033744d3bbf8c59807a4ad102025-08-20T02:36:58ZengWileyPeople and Nature2575-83142025-05-017597498910.1002/pan3.10679Changes in the users of the social‐ecological system around a reciprocal human‐dolphin relationshipMauricio Cantor0Bruna Santos‐Silva1Fábio G. Daura‐Jorge2Alexandre M. S. Machado3Débora Peterson4Daiane X. da‐Rosa5Paulo C. Simões‐Lopes6João V. S. Valle‐Pereira7Sofia Zank8Natalia Hanazaki9Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Marine Mammal Institute Oregon State University Newport Oregon USADepartamento de Ecologia e Zoologia Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Florianópolis SC BrazilDepartamento de Ecologia e Zoologia Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Florianópolis SC BrazilDepartamento de Ecologia e Zoologia Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Florianópolis SC BrazilNatural Resources Institute University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba CanadaDepartamento de Ecologia e Zoologia Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Florianópolis SC BrazilDepartamento de Ecologia e Zoologia Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Florianópolis SC BrazilDepartment of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Marine Mammal Institute Oregon State University Newport Oregon USADepartamento de Ecologia e Zoologia Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Florianópolis SC BrazilDepartamento de Ecologia e Zoologia Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Florianópolis SC BrazilAbstract In contrast to many contemporary negative human‐nature relationships, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities have stewarded nature through cultural practices that include reciprocal contributions for both humans and nature. A rare example is the century‐old artisanal fishery in which net‐casting fishers and wild dolphins benefit by working together, but little is known about the persistence of the social‐ecological system formed around this cultural practice. Here, we frame the human‐dolphin cooperative fishery in southern Brazil as a social‐ecological system based on secondary data from the scientific and grey literature. To investigate the dynamics of this system, we survey the local and traditional ecological knowledge and examine potential changes in its main component—the artisanal fishers—over time and space. Over 16 years, we conducted four interview campaigns with 188 fishers in fishing sites that are more open (accessible) or closed (restricted) to external influence. We investigated their experience, engagement and economic dependence on dolphin‐assisted fishing, as well as the learning processes and transmission of the traditional knowledge required to cooperate with dolphins. Our qualitative data suggest that fishers using accessible and restricted fishing sites have equivalent fishing experience, but those in more restrictive sites tend to be more economically dependent on dolphins, relying on them for fishing year‐round. The traditional knowledge on how to cooperate with dolphins is mostly acquired via social learning, with a tendency for vertical learning to be frequent among fishers using sites more restrictive for outsiders. Experience, economic dependence and reliance on vertical learning seem to decrease recently, especially in the accessible site. Our quantitative analyses, however, suggest that some of these fluctuations were not significant. Our study outlines the key components of this social‐ecological system and identifies changes in the attributes of a main component, the users. These changes, when coupled with changes in other components such as governance and resource units (fish and dolphins), can have implications for the persistence of this cultural practice and the livelihoods of Local Communities. We suggest that continuous monitoring of this system can help to safeguard the reciprocal contributions of this human‐nature relationship in years to come. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10679artisanal fishinghuman‐wildlifesmall‐scale fisheriessocial‐ecological systemsocioeconomic attributestraditional ecological knowledge |
| spellingShingle | Mauricio Cantor Bruna Santos‐Silva Fábio G. Daura‐Jorge Alexandre M. S. Machado Débora Peterson Daiane X. da‐Rosa Paulo C. Simões‐Lopes João V. S. Valle‐Pereira Sofia Zank Natalia Hanazaki Changes in the users of the social‐ecological system around a reciprocal human‐dolphin relationship People and Nature artisanal fishing human‐wildlife small‐scale fisheries social‐ecological system socioeconomic attributes traditional ecological knowledge |
| title | Changes in the users of the social‐ecological system around a reciprocal human‐dolphin relationship |
| title_full | Changes in the users of the social‐ecological system around a reciprocal human‐dolphin relationship |
| title_fullStr | Changes in the users of the social‐ecological system around a reciprocal human‐dolphin relationship |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changes in the users of the social‐ecological system around a reciprocal human‐dolphin relationship |
| title_short | Changes in the users of the social‐ecological system around a reciprocal human‐dolphin relationship |
| title_sort | changes in the users of the social ecological system around a reciprocal human dolphin relationship |
| topic | artisanal fishing human‐wildlife small‐scale fisheries social‐ecological system socioeconomic attributes traditional ecological knowledge |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10679 |
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