Climate change: A pointer to increased small-scale fisher drowning deaths

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dc.contributor.authorRasolofoson, Ranaivo A
dc.contributor.authorOnyango, Horace Owiti
dc.contributor.authorAwuor, Fonda Jane
dc.contributor.authorAura, Christopher Mulanda
dc.contributor.authorFiorella, Kathryn J
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-28T08:18:32Z
dc.date.available2024-05-28T08:18:32Z
dc.date.issued2024-05
dc.description.abstractAbstract Drowning is an overlooked public health concern and drowning risk is dependent on environmental risk factors. The preponderance of drowning deaths occurs in low- and middle-income countries. Small-scale fishers face high occupational risk of drowning. Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of storms, thereby exacerbating fishers’ risks and creating a need to examine the contribution of storms to fisher drowning deaths for the development of mitigation strategies. We examined this relationship between weather and fisher drowning deaths in Lake Victoria, which is Africa’s largest lake, a site of high fishing pressure, and where climate change is predicted to increase thunderstorms. We conducted a verbal autopsy with people knowledgeable about recent fatal fisher drowning incidents to collect information about the deceased fishers and circumstances surrounding the incidents across 43 landing sites in the Kenyan shore of Lake Victoria. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders also elucidated community perspectives on drowning risks. Fatal drownings were often attributed to bad weather (41.8%). Other risk factors, such as non-use of life jacket and navigation equipment, co-occurred with bad weather at high rates (69.5% and 67.8%, respectively) to jointly contribute to fatal drowning incidents. Such co-occurrence of risk factors indicates that actions across multiple risk factors can help mitigate the issue. Stakeholder analysis revealed a range of opportunities for improved communication of risks and action to mitigate risks across boat operators and manufacturers, as well as multiple levels of management. Across global small-scale fisheries, limited use of safety equipment and intensive fishing pressure may coincide with increases in extreme weather events, necessitating action to address current and mitigate future drowning risks to small-scale fishers.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThis study was financially supported by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability in the form of a small grant ("Reducing Climate Risk" (RCR)) received by RAR. This study was also financially supported by the National Science Foundation CNH2 in the form of a grant (NSF BCS# 2009658) received by KJF. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.en_US
dc.identifier.citationRasolofoson, Ranaivo A., Horace Owiti Onyango, Fonda Jane Awuor, et al. 'Climate Change: A Pointer to Increased Small-Scale Fisher Drowning Deaths', PloS One, vol. 19/no. 5, (2024), pp. e0302397-e0302397.en_US
dc.identifier.issnISSN 1932-6203
dc.identifier.issnEISSN 1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttps://nru.uncst.go.ug/handle/123456789/9541
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_US
dc.subjectFreshwater fish; Boats; Medical risk factors; Safety equipment; Fisheries; Surface water; Fish; Weatheren_US
dc.titleClimate change: A pointer to increased small-scale fisher drowning deathsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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