Connecting sea to market: Using network analysis to understand social–ecological dynamics in seafood value chains in Pisco, Southern Peru

Abstract Small‐scale fisheries represent complex human‐nature interactions, targeting different species in different locations throughout the year. On land, fishers are at the core of diverse seafood value chains that serve local and distant markets. Understanding interconnectivity and the value chain dynamics of these complex systems is key to designing meaningful resource management plans that are adaptive to changes. In this article, we use network analysis to examine the multi‐level social–ecological system of a Peruvian small‐scale fishery. We explore the hypothesis that archetypes of different fisher adaptive strategies can be identified based on the species they target, the gear they use and market values. To examine these adaptive interactions in the value chain network, we used the empirical case study of a small‐scale fishery in San Andrés, Peru. Data comes from semi‐structured surveys ( n = 58) with fishers and buyers, along with historical and contextual data from qualitative interviews and literature review. We visualize and analyse our data as social–ecological network interactions, which indicate patterns of adaptive behaviour among fishers with different catch and market strategies. Resilience and adaptive capacity are observed among fishers that have multiple options along the value chain. A fisher is thus more resilient to climatic and seasonal change if they fish for multiple species across different seasons. Similarly, a buyer is more resilient if buying from multiple fishers across the year and selling to a diversity of markets. Findings suggest that fishers and buyers do exhibit adaptive capacity in different identifiable ways, which we interpret and explain as four adaptive fisher archetypes. This allowed us to define a theoretical fisher motif aimed at generalizing the structural configuration of a typical fisher who has adaptive capacity. This motif can be used as a social–ecological network model to test adaptive capacity in other fisheries. We discuss and argue that recognizing and supporting diverse value chains is key for adaptive capacity to future environmental and social changes and that fishers play a central role as agents with adaptive decision‐making capacity to potentially improve overall system resilience. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.