The 2010 Tsunami In Chile: Devastation And Survival Of Coastal Small-Scale Fishing Communities

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Marine Policy 34 (2010) 1381–1384

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Marine Policy
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Short communication

The 2010 tsunami in Chile: Devastation and survival of coastal small-scale fishing communities
´ ´ Andres Marın a,n,1, Stefan Gelcich a,2, Gonzalo Araya b,3, Gonzalo Olea b,3, ´ Miguel Espındola b,3, Juan C. Castilla a,2
´ ´ ´ Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Departamento deEcologıa & Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Ecologıa y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Chile ´ ´ ´ ´ Corporacion para la Educacion, Desarrollo e Investigacion de la Pesca Artesanal de Chile (CEDIPAC) and Confederacion Nacional de Pescadores Artesanales de Chile (CONAPACH), ´ Valparaıso, Chile
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a r t i c l e in fo
Article history: Received 2 June 2010 Received in revised form 11 June 2010 Accepted11 June 2010 Keywords: Artisanal fishers Coastal communities Hazards Human dimensions Natural disaster Perceptions

abstract
In 2010, a tsunami generated by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck the central-south zone of Chile. This short communication reports the direct impacts on the small-scale artisanal fishing capacity and coastal livelihoods along approximately 600 km of the coastline.Despite the magnitude of the catastrophe, the absence of official warnings, and the failure of telecommunication networks only 8 fisher victims were reported out of a total death toll of more than 170. Results show that this trend is explained by sociocultural assets and a natural hazard subculture. This highlights the need to integrate contextual and behavioural approaches in disaster management andrehabilitation policies. & 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction On February 27th, 2010, at 3:34 AM, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, the fifth largest instrumentally recorded, struck the centralsouth zone of Chile [1]. Major tsunami waves hit the coast in the following 14 min–2 h [2], devastating coastal villages and fishing coves caletas along 600 km of coastline (331360 S–381280 S).The tsunami was particularly destructive for the artisanal small-scale fishery sector, in an area that accounts for around 27% of the artisanal workforce and 47% of the national artisanal catch [3]. The devastation and environmental modifications pose great social, economic, and policy challenges for a sustainable rehabilitation of the activity. Surprisingly, despite the magnitude of thecatastrophe (Fig.1), the absence of early official evacuation warnings [4], and the failure of communication networks [1], out of an estimated

population of 75,000–80,000 artisanal fishers and their close relatives, only 8 fisher victims were reported (Table 2). This suggests well-established responding capacities in these fishing communities at times of unpredictable natural hazards. Here, immediateimpacts on the small-scale fleet, gear, and equipment are first reported; second, the survival of inhabitants of fishing communities, and finally the role and effectiveness of natural warning signals (for example, earthquake shaking), human-made warning systems (for example, emergency alert systems), and socio-cultural assets (for example, place based knowledge and social networks) on fishers’ tsunami...