Utilizing interview-based data to measure interactions of artisanal fishing communities and cetacean populations in Kuching Bay, Sarawak, East Malaysia
Kuching Bay is a significant area for artisanal fishing activities as well as an Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) for coastal cetaceans. A total of 286 fishers from eight fishing communities were interviewed between 2011 and 2019 to determine the nature and extent of cetacean-fishery interactio...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier Science, Ltd.
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/41697/2/Ambie%20et%20al.%2C%202023%20-%20Utilizing%20interview%20data%20to%20measure%20interactions%20of%20artisanal%20fg%20comm%20and%20cetac%20popns%20in%20Kch%20Bay%2C%20Swak_v2.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/41697/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569123001175 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106592 |
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| Summary: | Kuching Bay is a significant area for artisanal fishing activities as well as an Important Marine Mammal Area
(IMMA) for coastal cetaceans. A total of 286 fishers from eight fishing communities were interviewed between
2011 and 2019 to determine the nature and extent of cetacean-fishery interactions in the area. The main types of
fishing gears recorded were gillnets, trammel nets, trawl nets, longlines, handlines and crab traps, with the use of
gears varying by season and target species. Depredation, net damage, and entanglements in fishing gear were the
most frequently reported negative interactions with cetaceans. Thirty-six percent of fishers reported having
experienced a cetacean entanglement in their fishing gear at least once. More than half (58.1%) of the respondents
who experienced bycatch were able to disentangle and release the animals alive. The more conservative
calculated bycatch rate of 0.36 cetaceans per fisher over a fishing career indicates that a minimum
estimated average of 19 cetaceans are involved in bycatch annually in Kuching Bay, with as many as nine of these
incidents likely resulting in mortality. However, a less conservative method yields a bycatch rate of 0.57 per
fisher, and estimated an average of 30 bycaught cetaceans per year. Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris)
were reported to be at the highest risk (72.9% of reported incidents), with an estimated minimum of seven
individuals caught and killed per year. Despite the negative interactions, 77.2% of respondents reported a
generally positive attitude toward cetaceans based on their value for tourism and as indicators of fish presence
and a healthy ecosystem. Mutualistic relationships between fishers and cetaceans were documented, with 53% of
respondents reporting that they feed discarded fish to cetaceans. The results of this study can be used to guide
effective mitigation measures, which should focus on training fishers in safe handling and release of entangled
cetaceans, and, more importantly, methods to prevent interactions with gillnets. |
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