Fishermen’s knowledge and conservation attitudes: focus on the great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Minho River, Portugal

Considerate the attitudes of traditional communities and their local ecological knowledge (LEK) can contribute to better policymaking and more appropriate management plans. Thus, this study strived to share the Minho River’s fishermen LEK about great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758), as well as it exposes their conservation attitudes towards this species. We described and analysed interviewees’ LEK qualitatively, while their attitudes were analysed quantitatively through correlation with variables from fishermen’s profile. Fishermen were able to identify cormorant’s ecological characteristics like habitats, prey species, and foraging behaviour. They also exposed an overall moderate attitude towards the conservation of great cormorants. The LEK often was supported by published data, but we found diverse information in some themes, such as habitat and diet. We found a significant negative correlation between fishermen’s age and attitudes (p = 0.02), and those fishermen who often fished contrasted significantly from those who rarely fished (p = 0.02). We lastly reaffirm the importance of the present study as background information regarding P. carbo in Minho River and of ethnobiological studies as a tool for management plans. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10452-021-09928-4.