Social-ecological keystone species for viable fishing communities

My research seeks to identify species that are valuable socially and ecologically to fishers in Chilika (a coastal fishing community in India). To achieve this, I will interview fishers from three ecologically diverse communities to ask what fish are important for (but not limited to) nutrition, livelihoods, culture, biological communities. I will observe how this differs based on gender as well as caste grouping in the lagoon. My research puts Chilika fishers (and their insights) in the forefront to protect fish species of importance. Here, I will emphasize the importance of both local and scientific knowledge. The outcomes of my research are to undertake a social/livelihood analysis and to develop ecological and social profiles of the top four significant species within the lagoon. I will also use fisher knowledge to identify habitat range, map spatial abundances (qualitatively), identify other habitat preferences (spawning, migration, feeding). The global (and Canadian) implications of my study will be to contribute to developing a social and ecological combined understanding to inform theory, policy and practice pertaining to conservation and development that involves the wellbeing of both the fish and the fisher people

Faculty Supervisor:

Prateep Kumar Nayak

Student:

Partner:

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: