Contribution short abstract:

Stemming from an ethnography with fishermen this paper proposes to start from the importance of local knowledge and adaptation strategies in small fisheries in order to rethink and discuss Ethnography and Anthropology itself in the face of new theoretical trends.

Contribution long abstract:

Fishermen, due to their intense interaction with the natural environment, deeply understand and know nature and its changes. Climate change has had a profound impact on fishing, with repercussions on daily life, both in economic and social matters. The local knowledge of those who tread the seas daily becomes essential to understand the impacts of climate change on seas and oceans and the maritime resources on which fishing communities depend. Through ethnography with fishermen from Setúbal, Portugal, it will be possible to understand the impact of climate change on daily life, its ways of adapting, and the importance of local knowledge for adapting to the various dimensions of this natural phenomenon.

However, in the face of global changes in the Anthropocene, the decline in small-scale fishing in Portugal is visible. It is therefore imperative to reinforce the importance of local knowledge and fishermen for knowledge about the oceans and for adapting and mitigating climate change. In this context, what is the role of ethnography? Facing new theoretical currents that equate the Human as one with nature, how to transform ethnography into something truly holistic? How to study a community without losing sight of the individual? How can Anthropology bring different types of knowledge together in the pursuit of sustainability? These are some of the reflections that will be presented and discussed starting from the ethnographic experience in situ.