Mobile Adaptation Strategies among Artisanal Fishers in Lima : Coping with Environmental Change

Sammanfattning

This study examines how artisanal fishers in Lima use mobile adaptation strategies in response to environmental change. It relies on qualitative data from 26 interviews with fishers and stakeholders from two months of fieldwork in Lima, combined with quantitative landings data from the last 30 years. The theoretical framework treats mobility as an adaptation strategy with inherent challenges, while using “mobile capabilities” to examine barriers to movement and “spaces of mobility” to analyse relations between mobilities across ports. Through regression analysis and qualitative content analysis, the study finds that fishers are adapting to environmental change by becoming more mobile, increasing the distance, duration and scale of trips. The study contributes to the research field with the concept of “dynamic mobility”, arguing that fishers are becoming more variable in their mobility. Furthermore, the study finds that adaptation strategies are taking place in an increasingly interconnected space of mobility. Yet, the study also finds that increasing movement is negatively affecting fishing profitability and that lack of resources acts as a barrier for fishers in their mobility. In light of this, the study argues that governance structures should, among other things, provide better access to credit and enforce the 5-nautical miles limit.