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Human Health Alters the Sustainability of Fishing Practices in East Africa

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dc.contributor.authorFiorella, K.J.
dc.contributor.authorMilner, E.M.
dc.contributor.authorSalmen, C.S.
dc.contributor.authorHickey, M.D.
dc.contributor.authorOmollo, D.O.
dc.contributor.authorMattah, B.
dc.contributor.authorAdhiambo, A.
dc.contributor.authorBukusi, E.B.
dc.contributor.authorFernald, L.C.H.
dc.contributor.authorBrashares, J.S.
dc.date.accessioned2021-03-16T18:23:13Z
dc.date.available2021-03-16T18:23:13Z
dc.date.issued2017-04-18
dc.description.abstractUnderstanding feedbacks between human and environmental health is critical for the millions who cope with recurrent illness and rely directly on natural resources for sustenance. Although studies have examined how environmental degradation exacerbates infectious disease, the effects of human health on our use of the environment remains unexplored. Human illness is often tacitly assumed to reduce human impacts on the environment. By this logic, ill people reduce the time and effort that they put into extractive livelihoods and, thereby, their impact on natural resources. We followed 303 households living on Lake Victoria, Kenya over four time points to examine how illness influenced fishing. Using fixed effect conditional logit models to control for individual-level and time-invariant factors, we analyzed the effect of illness on fishing effort and methods. Illness among individuals who listed fishing as their primary occupation affected their participation in fishing. However, among active fishers, we found limited evidence that illness reduced fishing effort. Instead, ill fishers shifted their fishing methods. When ill, fishers were more likely to use methods that were illegal, destructive, and concentrated in inshore areas but required less travel and energy. Ill fishers were also less likely to fish using legal methods that are physically demanding, require travel to deep waters, and are considered more sustainable. By altering the physical capacity and outlook of fishers, human illness shifted their effort, their engagement with natural resources, and the sustainability of their actions. These findings show a previously unexplored pathway through which poor human health may negatively impact the environment.
dc.identifier.citationFiorella, KJ, Milner, EM, Salmen, CS, Hickey, MD, Omollo, DO, Mattah, B, Adhiambo, A, Bukusi, EB, Fernald, LCH, Brashares, JS. 2016. Human Health Alters the Sustainability of Fishing Practices in East Africa. PNAS. 114(16): 4171-4176.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1813/103509
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherNational Academy of Sciences
dc.relation.doihttps://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613260114
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPNAS
dc.subjectenvironmental change
dc.subjectfishing livelihoods
dc.subjectLake Victoria
dc.subjecthealth and environment
dc.subjectsocial-ecological systems
dc.titleHuman Health Alters the Sustainability of Fishing Practices in East Africa
dc.typearticle
dcterms.licensehttps://hdl.handle.net/1813/103499
schema.accessibilityFeaturetaggedPDF
schema.accessibilityFeaturereadingOrder
schema.issueNumberVol. 114, Iss. 16

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