Work

Fishers’ Ecological Knowledge and Reported Sea Turtle Bycatch Practices Vary Across Fishing Groups in Brunei-Muara

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Graphical Abstract Highlight Research 1. Fishers in Brunei-Muara show significantly lower ecological knowledge of sea turtle bycatch overall. 2. Full-time fishers and those in Zone 3 demonstrate stronger ecological knowledge than others. 3. Migrant crew (Indonesian/Filipino) reported higher bycatch-related practices than Bruneian fishers; however, nationality is fully confounded with occupational role in this sample and cannot be interpreted as an independent effect. 4. Bycatch practice and perception scores differed significantly across fishing zones overall; Zone 2 fishers scored highest on post-hoc pairwise comparison. Abstract Sea turtle bycatch is an important conservation concern in small-scale fisheries, yet fisher-based evidence from Brunei Darussalam remains limited. We examined ecological knowledge, reported bycatch-related practices and perceptions, exposure to turtle endangerment, and knowledge of conservation legislation among 41 fishers in Brunei-Muara District using a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Most respondents (80.5%) had encountered sea turtles while fishing, whereas only 6.1% reported accidental captures during the previous five years. Awareness of legislation prohibiting turtle hunting was low (12.1%). Local ecological knowledge varied across several fishing-related characteristics, including fishing dependence, fishing frequency, gear-use consistency, and fishing zone, while bycatch practice and perception scores also differed among fishing zones. Apparent differences by nationality could not be separated from occupational role because these variables were fully confounded in the sample. These findings identify heterogeneity in fisher knowledge and self-reported bycatch-related practices and provide a baseline for more targeted conservation communication and future monitoring in Brunei-Muara. Because the study used a small convenience sample and self-reported responses, the findings should not be interpreted as population-level estimates of fisher knowledge or sea turtle bycatch.

Source: Jurnal Ilmiah Perikanan dan Kelautan

DOI: 10.20473/jipk.v18i3.95777

Authors: Lejaniya Abdul Kalam Saleena, Michelle Oi Yoon Soo, Vaidehi Ulaganathan, Takaomi Arai, Putera A. M. A. A., Fook-Choy Yap

Institutions: UCSI University, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Sunway University

Language: English

Topic: Turtle Biology and Conservation

Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $70