Return to the realm of the Kob Kings: social capital, learning, resilience and action research in a changing fishery

Duggan, Gregory Lawrence

Return to the realm of the Kob Kings: social capital, learning, resilience and action research in a changing fishery

Doctoral Thesis

2018

Abstract

Based on ethnographic fieldwork in the traditional commercial linefishery on South Africaâ€™s southern Cape coast, informed by social-ecological systems (SES) thinking, and directed by a participatory action research approach, the work facilitated the co-development of a series of applied responses to local challenges identified by research participants including commercial linefishers, school learners, teachers, and other local community members. The thesis is presented in four chapters, each focussing on a different challenge: marine water temperatures; school learning for social learning; fishersâ€™ organisations; and branding of linefish. The objectives of the thesis are to explore the processes, constraints, motivators, and lessons learnt in addressing each of the four challenges drawing on four emergent themes: 1) trust and social capital, 2) social learning, 3) resilience and transformation, and 4) participatory action research/co-development. The thesis underlines how participation leads to co-developed strategies to address realworld challenges. The work on water temperatures resulted in the co-development of a novel water temperature measuring device for deployment on commercial linefishing boats. However, despite initial successful deployment, fishersâ€™ time and financial concerns, paired with a short-term focus undermined the participatory process. The social learning and teaching work facilitated the co-development of a series of integrated teaching modules that addressed challenges observed in the school, transforming the approach to teaching, and laying the foundation for future community social learning. The work also raised the challenge of â€˜high stakes testingâ€™ which may constrain teacher participation. The work on fishersâ€™ organisations revealed the role of leadership, competing economic and lifestyle foci, competence and political trust, as well as â€˜bondingâ€™, â€˜bridgingâ€™, and â€˜linkingâ€™ forms of social capital in the formation, maintenance and dissolution of these bodies. The research found that different forms of trust and social capital, paired with leadership, were critical to successful participation and collaboration throughout the fieldwork. Finally, the branding work resulted in an adaptation on the part of the fishers, but one which was constrained by and highlighted the economic influence of inshore trawling that continues to limit the extent of linefishersâ€™ adaptive strategies.

Keywords

Fisheries Research

Reference:

Collections

PhD / Doctoral

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