Documenting Temporal Changes in Shellfish and Fish Populations to support Community-led Marine Conservation
Research Location:
Rurutu, French Polynesia
Conservation Partner:
The Rurutu community
Student Researcher
Erin Cearlock, Major: Anthropology, Major: GovernmentFaculty Mentor
Dr. Jenny KahnProject Description
Most Indigenous communities in remote French Polynesia, like those in the Austral Islands, subsist largely on ecotourism and subsistence fishing and farming. Two of the most pressing concerns for these communities are 1) the effects of climate change, global warming, and other adverse environmental effects and 2) how to track and combat the effects of over-fishing, both of local nature and those from outside influences.
In collaboration with local stakeholders on Rututu, including the mayor, the Conseil de Sage (council of elders), and the Rurutu Environmental Association, a William & Mary student will work with Professor Jenny Kahn tol carry out a marine survey of select fish and shellfish to compare modern fish and shellfish size and taxa frequency to those found in archaeological sites on the island. The project will also collect oral traditions of Austral Islanders to explore the long intertwined histories between people, the ocean, and marine species, with origin myths recounting relations between whales, sharks, and turtles. An understanding of how current populations compare with archeological records and a documentation of oral histories, will support community-led efforts to protect shellfish and fish species and their role in the livelihoods and culture of local people. It will also support community-led efforts to develop a museum that engages youth, community members, and tourists in an exploration of the role of fisheries in Rurrutu.
