2015 Volume 21 Pages 90-105
The aim of this paper is to reveal the social mechanism underlying unintentional natural resource management in subsistence activities by analyzing the livelihood strategy of the fishermen of Ginama district, Kunigami village, Okinawa.
Alongside more mainstream fishing techniques, fish aggregating devices have been used for many years in Ginama district. Nowadays, through interaction with the wider Japanese society, they are valued as cultural and symbolic resources of the district. In addition, they function to support the fishermen’s livelihoods and demonstrate that the fishermen of Ginama have been employing multiple practices in the utilization of natural resources.
The investigation of the livelihood strategy of these fishermen, reveals the different practices within the fishermen’s subsistence activities such as: making efforts to extend markets, building cooperative relationships with fishermen from neighboring communities, and the creation of various types of complementary fishing activities. Additionally, the paper seeks to discover whether these multiple practices contribute to resource conservation, or not.
The study demonstrates that the fishermen of Ginama district have built a relationship with the outside society through multiple practices in subsistence activities: displaying hospitality to others, using local marketing channels, holding meetings, drawing up plans for events and employing several different types of media. For the fishermen, the fish aggregating device functions as a safeguard, which enables the generation of additional income when their primary fishing method is unproductive. The fishermen’s multiple practices towards nature and society foster the development of the conservation of natural resources and better relationships with neighboring communities for mutual assistance. Furthermore, because the conservation of natural resources and better relations with their neighbors are organically related to each other, the fishermen are seen to be constantly engaging in the conservation of natural resources unintentionally. Thus, it can be concluded that the multiple practices of Ginama district fishermen’s subsistence activities have made natural resource conservation possible.
