Keeping food on the table: Human responses and changing coastal fisheries in Solomon Islands

Abstract

Globally the majority of commercial fisheries have experienced dramatic declines in stock and catch. Likewise, projections for many subsistence fisheries in the tropics indicate a dramatic decline is looming in the coming decades. In the Pacific Islands coastal fisheries provide basic subsistence needs for millions of people. A decline in fish catch would therefore have profound impacts on the health and livelihoods of these coastal communities. In this study we analyse the spatial and temporal characteristics of fishing behaviour of Baraulu fishers in the Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands, and compare fish catch data from 1995 to 2011 to examine changes to the coastal reef fishery between these time points. The key questions explored through this research were, given ongoing environmental changes have fishers responded to ecological change by expanding their fishing range and/or effort? Answering these questions is fundamental for understanding human responses to resource scarcity in a rapidly changing environment. This paper provides a unique insight into local scale responses to resource depletion that is relevant throughout the Pacific region.