Reflections, perceptions and practices of spearfishing among Ulithian communities

Abstract Spearfishing is a common and effective subsistence fishing method in coral reef‐dependent communities. Although its ecological impacts have been widely studied, spearfishing's sociocultural dimensions have received less attention despite its direct impacts on both reef and reef‐dependent communities. This is particularly true for traditional socio‐ecological systems (SES) where the viability of community well‐being and ecosystem health are tightly coupled. In this study, we conceptualize perceptions and practices around spearfishing and its influence within the broader SES of Ulithi Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). We conducted focus group interviews with 83 Ulithian men, women and youth from Ulithi Atoll, FSM and a diaspora in Kona, Hawaiʻi who originally introduced Western spearguns to Ulithi. We found spearfishing to be the preferred fishing method due to the method's convenience, selectivity and immersion qualities, and the recreational and personal services it provides in addition to subsistence. However, participants also held diverse views and perceived spearfishing as a complex and dynamic ‘system’ containing multiple sociocultural elements, including market access, fish sharing and food sovereignty. Historical and ongoing developments have changed spearfishing since it was first implemented, with the introduction of Western spearguns from Hawaiʻi as a main driver of ‘recreationalization’, in which the recreational attributes of spearfishing have increased in perceived importance. At the same time, spearfishing has become culturally integrated, with the practice possessing its own specific customs and knowledge and being seen as a rite of passage for boys. Our results demonstrate an altered SES in which fishers have adapted fishing practices alongside spearfishing and spearguns, while also intensifying selective targeting of larger fish and prized species. Further globalization may amplify these changes associated with spearfishing if sociocultural norms and governance systems do not keep pace with increasing spearfishing efficiency and use. We show that spearfishing is an important historical and potential future driver of social, cultural and environmental change in Ulithi, expanding our current understanding of the role of spearfisheries within coastal SESs. Designing effective management and addressing community well‐being thus requires intentional consideration of spearfishing's sociocultural dimensions alongside its ecological effects. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.