Understanding fisher-shark interactions in West Hawaiʻi and exploring collaborative mitigation opportunities

This dataset includes qualitative interview data aggregated and entered into an excel csv file. Data were collected between September 2017 and June 2018. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 male West Hawaiʻi small boat fishers, ranging in age from 19-75 years. The interview guide addressed four broad themes: participant relationship to fishing and fishing history; information sharing in the fisheries of Hawaiʻi Island; shark interactions and handling practices; and fisher perceptions of local fisheries management and science. More specific questions elicited data around the kinds of fishing circumstances and habitats associated with fisher-shark interactions, what experiences and values might influence fisher perceptions and behavior, and the kinds of sharks fishers encounter.

These data document West Hawaiʻi small boat fishers' experiences with and perceptions of sharks. They also capture the socioeconomic dynamics and fisher relationships with fisheries management and science that contextualize fishers' perceptions of and behavior around sharks.

Main Hawaiian Islands

This dataset includes qualitative interview data aggregated and entered into an excel csv file.

While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.

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Initial research participants were identified in consultation with members of local fisher-oriented NGOs, fishing and social science communities, and a shark researcher embarking on a fisher-collaborative shark-tagging project. The sampling criteria used to select research participants was broad: small-scale fishers that interact with pelagic sharks (e.g., with potential to interact with oceanic whitetip sharks). Additional research participants were identified through the snowball sampling method and public shark-tagging workshops. Workshop flyers were distributed in Kona tackle shops and harbors and announcements in the local Hawaiʻi Fishing News magazine provided information about shark-tagging research and contact info to participate in an interview, but these endeavors did not connect us to new research participants. Although data collection relied on collaborations with the collaborative shark-tagging project, data collected for this project are distinct from that of the shark-tagging research, and fewer than half of this study's interviewees were shark-tagging participants.

More than half of the research participants were born and raised on the island of Hawaiʻi, with a majority of these hailing from its west coast; 8 traveled to Kona from the continental United States; and the rest came from neighboring Hawaiian Islands. Individual interviewees had from 5 years to more than 6 decades of experience in West Hawaiʻi waters (for an average of 30 years per interviewee). Together, these 29 interviewees accumulated more than 900 years of fishing experience in Hawaiian waters. This number is a conservative estimate, excluding years of shoreline fishing that predate boat fishing ventures, youthful trips taken before formal fishing careers, and rich fishing experiences inherited from generations past. Interviewees’ participation in collaborative research and management-related fisher engagement was also variable, with most having limited experiences in either.

Nine interviewees captained charter vessels that operate out of Kona at the time of data collection. Five of these also described their commercial fishing endeavors. For this reason we also include them in the total of 17 interviewees that fish commercially. Only 3 in this commercial fishing group self-identified as full-time commercial fishers. The remaining 8 interviewees are primarily recreational fishers, or are pursuing other non-fishing occupations after dabbling in or retiring from fishing careers. Of these, 4 described commercial or charter fishing at some point in their career. Across all these groups, 16 interviewees described non-fishing occupations that either supplement their fishing income, or serve as their full-time position. On average, interviewees described fishing for over 160 days per year in the peak of their careers.

The fishing methods described most frequently by interviewees were handlining (primarily ikashibi; n = 20), trolling (n = 21), and live baiting (n = 18). Overall, though, the types of fishing in participants’ repertoire were extensive. They included spearfishing, diving, greenstick, fishing in porpoise, netting, jigging, dangling, longline fishing, and the additional handlining subcategories of make dog and palu ʻahi. Interviews also covered a diverse range of target species, the most popular of which were bottomfish, ʻahi, marlin, and ʻōpelu (mackerel scad, Decapterus macarellus). ʻAhi can refer to either bigeye (Thunnus obesus) or yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). Other target species cited in interviewees’ primary fisheries, past and present, included other pelagics like mahimahi (dorado, Coryphaena hippurus), aku (skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis), and ono (wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri); reef fish both for consumption and sale in the tropical fish trade; Kona crab (Ranina ranina); and black coral.

The data represent the opinions and beliefs of the participants of these interviews.

Data are currently stored on secured network drives at PIFSC, maintained by PIFSC IT services

This dataset includes qualitative interview data aggregated and entered into an excel csv file. We conducted semi-structured interviews between September 2017 and June 2018 with 29 West Hawaiʻi small boat fishers. We used a mixture of key informant, purposive, and snowball sampling. Interviews were conducted in the English, the primary language of all interviewees. The interview guide addressed four broad themes: participant relationship to fishing and fishing history; information sharing in the fisheries of Hawaiʻi Island; shark interactions and handling practices; and fisher perceptions of local fisheries management and science. More specific questions elicited data around the kinds of fishing circumstances and habitats associated with fisher-shark interactions, what experiences and values might influence fisher perceptions and behavior, and the kinds of sharks fishers encounter.

Interview transcripts were thematically coded in NVivo.