The role of local communities in the generation of fisheries information based on the ecosystem approach

The quality and applicability of existing data collection systems for inland fisheries are increasingly being questioned. Often, these systems are based on methods that were developed for marine fisheries, although data needs for inland fisheries are very different. Furthermore, most data is not collected based on any pre-identified needs for information, but because it was requested “from above” (e.g. central government and/or international agencies and donors). This paper suggests a new approach to information generation in river fisheries, with the aim to support a management strategy based on an ecosystem approach. As part of this approach, local communities play a central role in the generation of information upon which management decisions can be made, encompassing both ‘real-time’ data and historic information (local knowledge). In such a setting, data collection and information generation is considered an integrated element of the overall management process and local communities should thus also be directly involved in this part of the management process. Any collected data and information will be of direct, and often immediate, applicability to the resource users, or “co-managers”.