Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Adapting to declining fish resources: the differentiation of livelihood systems and fishing strategies in Singkarak Lake’s fishing community, West Sumatra

Regional Environmental Change volume 14, pages 1203–1214 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

In Southeast Asia, inland fish resources are crucial for small-scale fishing households. Their decline, due to overfishing and a set of socio-ecological factors, jeopardises aquatic ecosystems and the livelihoods of fishing communities. Singkarak Lake (West Sumatra) exemplifies this sustainability challenge. The paper proposes a multi-disciplinary analysis of the situation. First, it identifies and documents the primary livelihood systems and the strategic adaptations involved in fishing communities. Based upon a sample of 200 households and the implementation of multivariate analyses, a typology is developed. Three household types are identified. Type I comprises better-off farming fishers that have high fishing capitals and income but the lowest returns on fishing and land assets. Type II includes poor fishing farmers with higher farming income; they show the highest return on land assets. Type III is composed of poorer, younger fishers with the highest return on fishing assets and fishing costs. They have little land, low farming income, and diversified livelihood sources. Second, the technical efficiency (TE) of fishing households is studied using a data envelopment analysis. The results show that the average TE is low, but marked differences exist between the types. Type I households have the lowest TE in fishing, confirming an extensification and overcapitalisation strategy. Type II households show a high technical fishing efficiency. They have developed on-farm diversification with a combined, balanced livelihood system. Type III households are the most efficient fishers. They developed an intensification strategy together with off-farm diversification. Different livelihood strategies and economic portfolio have been developed as the response to the limited resources, uncertainty, fluctuating environment and other source of vulnerability. The fishers built up their livelihood based on their assets’ ownership, access to other resource out of fishing and their socio-economic status. In this context, understanding livelihood diversity among small-scale fishers, different socio-economic, their efficiency, constraints and opportunities emerge as important factor in policy formulation to enhance support to small-scale fishing communities and improved management of both the resources and local development. Finally, the paper suggests a focus on people and community-related solutions and proposes a threefold approach of resource conservation, livelihood improvements and restructured governance.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

39,95 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)

Fig. 1

References

  • Allison EH, Ellis F (2001) The livelihoods approach and management of small-scale fisheries. Mar Policy 25(5):37–388

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arifin B (2005) Institutional perspectives of lifescape co-management: lessons learned from RUPES sites in Sumatra, Indonesia. In: Murdiyarso D, Herawati H (eds) Carbon forestry: who will benefit?. Center for International Forestry Research, Jakarta, pp 156–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Arsil P (1999) Kajian pemanfaatan sumberdaya ikan bilih (Mystacoleucus padangensis Blkr) di Danau Singkarak, Propinsi Sumatera Barat [The study of bilih fish (Mystacoleucus padangensis Blkr) utilization in Singkarak Lake, West Sumatra Province]. Thesis, Institut Teknologi Bandung

  • Atlas R, Overall J (1994) Comparative evaluation of two superior stopping rules for hierarchical cluster analysis. Psychometrika 59(4):581–591

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Béné C (2003) When fishery rhymes with poverty: a first step beyond the old paradigm on poverty in small-scale fisheries. World Dev 31(6):949–975

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Béné C (2009) Are fishers poor or vulnerable? Assessing economic vulnerability in small-scale fishing communities. J Dev Stud 45(6):911–933

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Béné C, Friend R (2011) Poverty in small-scale fisheries. Prog in Dev Stud 11(2):119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Béné C, Obirih-opareh N (2009) Social and economic impacts of agricultural productivity intensification: the case of brush park fisheries in Lake Volta. Agric Syst 102(1–3):1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Béné C, Steel E, Luadia BK, Gordon A (2009) Fish as the “bank in the water”–Evidence from chronic-poor communities in Congo. Food Policy 34(1):108–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkademi W (2011) Pengelolaan sumberdaya ikan bilih (Mystacoleucus padangensis Blkr), di Danau Singkarak, Sumatera Barat [Management of bilih fish (Mystacoleucus padangensis Blkr) resource, in Singkarak Lake, West Sumatera]. Thesis, Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB)

  • Capillon A (1986) A classification of farming systems, preliminary to an extension program. In: Butler C, Flora C, Tomecek M (eds) Farming systems research & extension: management & methodologies. Kansas State University, USA, pp 219–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Esmaeili A (2006) Technical efficiency analysis for the Iranian fishery in the Persian Gulf. ICES J Mar Sci: J du Cons 63(9):1759–1764

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO (1998) Guidelines for the routine collection of capture fishery data. Prepared at the FAO/DANIDA Expert Consultation. Bangkok, Thailand. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 382. Rome, FAO.113p

  • FAO (2005) Increasing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security. Technical guidelines for responsible fisheries. FAO, Rome

  • Farida, Jeanes K, Kurniasari D, Widayati A, Ekadinata A, Hadi DP, Joshi L, Suyamto D, van Noordwijk M (2005) Rapid hydrological appraisal (RHA) of Singkarak Lake in the context of rewarding upland poor for environmental services (RUPES). Working paper, ICRAF South East Asia, Bogor, Indonesia

  • Ghee-tean L, Latif IA, Hussain MA (2012) Does technology and other determinants effect fishing efficiency? An application of stochastic frontier and data envelopment analyses on trawl fishery. J Appl Sci 12(1):48–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kent G (1997) Fisheries, food security, and the poor. Food Policy 22(5):393–404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirkley J, Paul CM, Squires D (2002) Capacity and Capacity Utilization in Common-pool Resource Industries. Environ Resour Econ 22(1):71–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirkley J, Squires D, Alam MF, Ishak HO (2003) Excess capacity and asymmetric information in developing country fisheries: the Malaysian purse seine fishery. Am J of Agric Econ 85(3):647–662

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landais E (1998) Modelling farm diversity: new approach to typology building in France. Agric Syst 58(4):505–527

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madau FA, Idda L, Pulina P (2009) Capacity and economic efficiency in small-scale fisheries: evidence from the Mediterranean Sea. Mar Policy 33(5):860–867

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maksum C (2004) Official poverty measurement in Indonesia. In: International conference on official poverty statistics, 4–6 October 2004, EDSA, Mandaluyong City, Philippines, 9p

  • Mills D, Béné C, Ovie S, Tafida A, Sinaba F, Kodio A, Russell A, Andrew N, Morand P, Lemoalle J (2011) Vulnerability in African small-scale fishing communities. J Int Dev 23(2):308–313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morand P, Sy OI, Breuil C (2005) Fishing livelihoods: successful diversification, or shrinking into poverty? In: Wisner B, Toulmin C, Chitiga R (eds) Towards a new map of Africa. Earthscan., pp 71–96

  • Pallan J (2005) SPSS survival manual. A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS version 12, 2nd edn. McGraw Hill education, Berkshire

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascoe S (2007) Capacity analysis and fisheries policy: theory versus practice. Mar Res Econ 22:83–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Pascoe S, Mardle S (2003) Efficiency analysis in EU fisheries: stochastic production Frontiers and data envelopment analysis. hants, UK: Centre for the Economics and Management of Aquatic Resources (CEMARE), University of Portsmouth

  • Perrot C, Landais E (1993) Research into typological methods for farm analysis. The why and wherefore. Systems studies in agriculture and rural environment. Brossier et al. (ed), INRA publ. 415p. (pp 373–381)

  • Pomeroy RS (2012) Managing overcapacity in small-scale fisheries in Southeast Asia. Mar Policy 36(2):520–527

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robards MD, Greenberg JA (2007) Global constraints on rural fishing communities: whose resilience is it anyway? Fish Fish 8:14–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salas S, Chuenpagdee R, Seijo JC, Charles A (2007) Challenges in the assessment and management of small-scale fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Fish Res 87(1):5–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salayo N, Garces L, Pido M, Viswanathan K, Pomeroy R, Ahmed M et al (2008) Managing excess capacity in small-scale fisheries: perspectives from stakeholders in three Southeast Asian countries. Mar Policy 32(4):692–700

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarch MT, Allison EH (2001) Fluctuating fisheries in Africa’s Inland waters: well adapted livelihoods, maladapted management. Tenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, Oregon, USA

  • Sesabo JK, Tol RSJ (2007) Technical efficiency of small-scale fishing households in Tanzanian coastal villages: an empirical analysis. Afr J of Aquat Sci 32(1):51–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma S (1996) Applied multivariate techniques. John Wiley & Sons, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Sievanen L, Crawford B, Pollnac R, Lowe C (2005) Weeding through assumptions of livelihood approaches in ICM: seaweed farming in the Philippines and Indonesia. Ocean and Coast Manag 48(3–6):297–313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith LED, Khoac SN, Lorenzen K (2005) Livelihood functions of inland fisheries: policy implications in developing countries. Water Policy 7:359–383

    Google Scholar 

  • Sowman M (2006) Subsistence and small-scale fisheries in South Africa: a ten-year review. Mar Policy 30(1):60–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Squires D, Grafton RQ, Alam MF, Omar IH (2003) Technical efficiency in the Malaysian gill net artisanal fishery. Environ Dev Econ 8(3):481–504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stobutzki IC, Silvestre GT, Abu Talib A, Krongprom A, Supongpan M, Khemakorn P et al (2006) Decline of demersal coastal fisheries resources in three developing Asian countries. Fish Res 78(2–3):130–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sulastri M (2006) Inland water resources and limnology in Indonesia. Tropics 15(3): 285–295

    Google Scholar 

  • Syandri H (1996) Aspek reproduksi ikan bilih, Mystacoleucus padangensis bleeker dan kemungkinan pembenihannya di Danau Singkarak (Reproduction aspect of bilih, Mystacoleucus padangensis bleeker and the breeding possibility in Singkarak Lake). Dissertation, Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB)

  • Syandri H (2004) Pengelolaan sumberdaya perikanan perairan umum (Fishery management in inland open-water fishery resource). Unri Press, Pekanbaru

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick BG, Fidell LS (eds) (2007) Using multivariate statistics. Allyn and Bacon, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorpe A, van Anrooy R (2009) Inland fisheries livelihoods in Central Asia: policy interventions and opportunities. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper. No. 526. Rome, FAO. 61p

  • Tingley D, Pascoe S, Coglan L (2005) Factors affecting technical efficiency in fisheries: stochastic production frontier versus data envelopment analysis approaches. Fish Res 73(3):363–376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UN-ESCAP (2009) Eco-efficiency indicators: measuring resource-use efficiency and the impact of economic activities on the environment. United Nations’ economic and social commission for Asia and the Pacific. Greening of economic growth series, 33p, Bangkok, Thailand

  • Vázquez-rowe I, Iribarren D, Moreira MT, Feijoo G (2010) Combined application of life cycle assessment and data envelopment analysis as a methodological approach for the assessment of fisheries. Int J Life Cycle Assess 15:272–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viswanathan KK, Jeon Y, Omar IH, Kirkley J, Squires D, Susilowati I (2000) Technical efficiency and fishing skill in developing country fisheries: The Kedah, Malaysia trawl fishery. Proceedings of the Tenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade. USA: IIFET

  • von Benda-Beckmann F and von Benda-Beckmann K (2004) Struggles over communal property rights and law in Minangkabau, West Sumatra. Working Papers/Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (Online), 64

  • Whatmore S (1994) Farm household strategies and styles of farming: assessing the utility of farm typologies. In: Van der Ploeg J, Long A (eds) Born from within: practices and perspectives of endogenous rural development. Van Gorcum, Assen, p 298p

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their gratitude towards the Ford Foundation—Jakarta office through the Andalas University, Indonesia, and the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, for funding the doctoral venture that generated this paper. The financial contribution of Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) to field work was highly appreciated. The authors also thank the local residents of Singkarak Lake for their active participation during fieldwork. Finally, the two anonymous reviewers are acknowledged for their valuable suggestions which helped improve the paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, UMR G-Eau, 34398, Montpellier, France

    S. R. Perret

  2. School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, PO. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand

    S. R. Perret &  Yuerlita

  3. Faculty of Agriculture, Andalas University, Kampus Limau Manis Padang, Padang, West Sumatra, 25163, Indonesia

    Yuerlita

Authors
  1. S. R. Perret
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yuerlita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. R. Perret.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Perret, S.R., Yuerlita Adapting to declining fish resources: the differentiation of livelihood systems and fishing strategies in Singkarak Lake’s fishing community, West Sumatra. Reg Environ Change 14, 1203–1214 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-013-0554-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-013-0554-z

Keywords

  • Resource decline
  • Livelihood systems
  • Technical efficiency
  • Small-scale fishers
  • Data envelopment analysis (DEA)
  • Singkarak Lake

Search

Navigation