Assessing Perceptions and Adaptation Responses to Climate Change among Small-Scale Fishery on the Northern Coastal of Bengkulu, Indonesia

Small-scale fisheries are facing significant challenges from climate change. Fishers feel the impact of climate change, which forces them to adapt. We, therefore, analyzed local climatic changes, fishers' perceptions regarding climate change and its impacts, adaptation responses, and determinants. Three decades of meteorological data were analyzed (1985–2020). A total of 300 fishermen were selected using quota sampling and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the descriptive and binary logit regression models to explain the determinants of adaptation responses. The findings indicate that fishers' perceptions of climatic changes align with historical climatic data. Typologies of adaptation responses used in the study showed that time fishing adjustment was the most widely used adaptation option by fishermen. For this reason, fishermen are very active in looking for information about climate change to help them find the right time to go to sea and reduce the risk of climate change. Analysis using the binary logit regression model showed that fishing income, boat power, and climate change perceptions were the significant (p < 0.1) factors significantly influencing adaptation responses. Therefore, to strengthen the adaptation responses in small-scale fisheries, fishers' perceptions should be considered.


Introduction
Climate change has a serious impact on coastal areas. Coastal areas are the areas which are most vulnerable to the adverse efects of global warming due to the accumulation of land and ocean infuences. In recent years, fshers have felt a change in seasonal patterns in line with climate change due to global warming. Tere are two types of impacts caused by climate change. Te two impacts are ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Ecological changes that occur are changes in fshing seasons, changes in fshing areas and seasons, increased risk of going to sea due to extreme waves and strong winds, and hindering fsherman's access to fshing due to the shallowing of the estuary and large waves. Changes in fsh seasons are caused by an increase in ocean temperature and sea salinity, which results in the movement of fsh [1].
Meanwhile, the uncertainty of fshermen's income is a socioeconomic impact of climate change. Fishermen are very dependent on natural conditions in the sea, which will determine what they catch. Te presence of climate change, such as rainfall and high waves accompanied by strong winds, makes fshing less time-consuming and less proftable. According to [2,3], another impact of climate change has an impact on changes in fshermen's production activities.
Te coastal area of Bengkulu is a unique ocean because of its geographical location, which is located between the continents of Asia and Australia and is directly adjacent to the high seas, namely the Indian Ocean; this boundary directly forms the characteristics of the oceanographic parameters that occur on the west coast of Sumatra. Te coastal area of Bengkulu is more subject to abrasion and has the characteristics of deeper waters because it borders the Indonesian Ocean, which has larger currents and waves. Tis condition causes the Bengkulu Coastal Area to be very vulnerable to climate change. Te height of the waves and the location directly facing the ocean have the potential for high shoreline changes. In addition, the potential for a tsunami due to its proximity to the meeting zone of the Eurasian and Indo-Australian plates causes the Bengkulu Coastal Area to need attention, especially for coastal research related to climate change.
Te adaptation highlights the importance of human beings (fshers) in executing rational, efective, and costefcient strategies to respond to uncertain climatic conditions. Te microlevel adaptation process implies agents' interdependence through their relationships with each other, with the institutions in which they live, and with the resource base on which they depend [4]. Determining the right strategy requires fshers' knowledge and perceptions of changes in climate indicators. Tis perception will afect the adaptation actions that fshers will take. Fishers will experience climate change in diferent ways, which will be infuenced by the diferent characteristics of the coastal area. Te diferences in the perceived impacts of climate change will provide perceptions and levels of adaptation that also difer from one region to another. Research in Africa shows that community adaptation to climate change difers from one region to another, even within one country [5]. Seeing the context of fshers as a community group that is vulnerable to climate change, this study aims to explore the perceptions of fshers and the adaptations carried out by fshers in dealing with climate change.

Conceptual Framework
Te defnition of small-scale fsher itself is stated in several laws, including Law 45/2009 on fsheries, which states that small-scale fshers are people whose livelihoods are fshing to meet the needs of daily life using fshing vessels with a maximum size of fve gross tons (GT). Law 23/2014 concerning regional government defnes small-scale fshers, namely traditional fshers who use traditional fshing materials and tools, as not subject to business licenses, free from taxes, and free to catch fsh in all fsheries management within the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. Even the most recent rule, Law No. 7/2016 concerning the protection and empowerment of fshermen, fsh cultivators, and salt farmers defnes small-scale fsheries as fshers who carry out fshing activities to meet their daily needs, both those who do not use fshing vessels and those who use fshing vessels with a maximum size of ten gross tons (GT). Climate change is perceived by fshermen as a result of the following: (1) changes in temperature and rainfall [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]; (2) wind changes [15][16][17]; (3) extreme climate events such as foods and droughts [11,15]; and (4) a shift in the seasons [18]. Te impact of climate change is so large that it requires active eforts to anticipate it. Adaptation strategies for dealing with climate change are needed to reduce its impact [19]. Adaptation is an important concept in climate change, disaster risk, and the socioecological framework. Adaptation is human behavior deviating from its state in response to pressure or other driving efects. Adaptation is generally perceived as an adjustment made in response to environmental changes and their actual and expected impacts. Various researchers have put forward various defnitions of adaptation, but "adjustments to change" are the key to adaptation [20]. Tis study looks at the importance of fshers' perceptions of climate change to build fshers' responses to adaptation ( Figure 1). Regency, South Bengkulu Regency, and Kaur Regency ( Figure 2). Bengkulu Province is located in the west of the Bukit Barisan mountains. It covers an area of approximately 1,991,933 ha (or 19,919.33 km 2 ) and extends from the border of West Sumatra Province to the border of Lampung Province, the distance is approximately 567 km.
Bengkulu Province is located between 2°16′ and 3°31′ south latitude and between 101°01′ and 103°41′ east longitude. Bengkulu Province has a coastline of approximately 525 km that is directly adjacent to the Indonesian Ocean (Indian Ocean). Te eastern part is hilly with fertile highlands, while the western part is a relatively narrow lowland, extending from north to south and interspersed with undulating areas. Bengkulu Province is considered to be the center of the world's climate, where the waters in Bengkulu Province become a meeting place for four ocean currents, eventually becoming an area where the process of evaporation of rain cloud formation occurs, resulting in the rainy or dry season and afecting the world's climate [21].

Sampling and Data Collection.
In this study, respondents were chosen from the study area using a multistage sampling technique. Bengkulu Province is one of Sumatra Island's western coastal areas that was purposely chosen as the research area due to its high vulnerability to climate change. In the second stage, one municipality and four districts were purposefully selected from the district's total. In the third stage, quota sampling for each research location is required since the number of small coastal fsher households in each research location is not known with certainty ( Figure 3).
Data for this study were collected through a questionnaire survey of small-scale fshery households in the coastal Bengkulu Province. Te purposive sampling method was employed to determine the respondents. Small-scale fsheries in this study are artisanal or traditional fsheries that involve fshing households, use relatively small fshing vessels (≤10 GT), short fshing trips (one-day fshing), and use relatively small capital and manpower. Before conducting the survey, it is necessary to assess the validity and reliability of the research instrument to ensure the validity and consistency of the question items in the questionnaire, particularly addressing the qualitative variables of fshers' perceptions of climate change. Tis study's validity and reliability tests were carried out for climate change perceptions, and climate change impact perceptions (see Tables 1 and 2). Te questionnaire was divided into four main parts: the frst part collected respondents' demographic information, including their age, education level, fshing experience, household size, income, and side jobs. Te second part collected the characteristics of the small-scale fshery, including boat power, fshing days, fshing time, fshing distance, catch capacity, fshers' group membership, access to climate information, and access to credit.

Te Scientifc World Journal
Te last part of the questionnaire is the response to fshers' adaptations to climate change. Based on previous research [39][40][41][42][43], this study employs 16 adaptations that can assist fshermen in increasing their adaptive capacity in response to the impacts of climate change. Te adaptation response of fshermen is categorized as high (score 1) if the number of adaptations carried out is 50% of the indicator and low (score 0) if the number of adaptations carried out by fshermen in reducing the impact of climate change is less than 50% of the indicator.
Before estimating the binary logit model, it was needed to determine whether the selected explanatory variables were associated or correlated with each other. Tis was done using the variance infation factor (VIF) and contingency coefcient (CC) to check the multicollinearity efect or any associations between continuous explanatory variables ( Figure 4). According to [57], the existence of multicollinearity may seriously afect parameter estimates of the logit model.

Socioeconomic Characteristics.
Te socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents and the household including age, education, fshing experience, household size, fshing income, and a side job ( Figure 5).

Small-Scale Fishery Characteristics.
Attributes characterizing the study participants, including boat power, fshing days, fshing time, fshing distance, catch capacity, group membership, access to climate information, and access to credit, were collected using multiple-choice responses and are presented in Table 4.

Meteorological Analysis.
Te coastal area of Bengkulu has very variable rainfall ( Figure 6(a)), depending on the topography. Rainfall varies from >6000 mm per year in the western area of Bukit Barisan to less than 1500 mm per year in the eastern area of Bukit Barisan where Bukit Barisan and the Malay Peninsula block moisten air. However, in general, the station recorded that 70% of the Bengkulu area received more than 2500 mm of rainfall per year. [58] explains a downward trend in annual rainfall in Bengkulu Province with a value of 71.79 mm/year from 1968 to 1997. Te dry season in most of the Bengkulu area is related to the northeast monsoon, which occurs between December and  March, while the main rainy season occurs during the transition period before the northeast monsoon and after the southwest monsoon, which lasts from May to September. Te secondary rainy season occurs around April. Climate change, such as changes in wind conditions, erratic rains, and the difculty of determining the location of fsh catches due to changes in currents, causes fsh to be unable to stay in one place for a long time. For fshers in the western coastal area of Bengkulu, directly facing the Indonesian Ocean, this changing season pattern is accompanied by high waves and strong winds that can sink fshing boats. Many fshermen miscalculate the pattern of the season when leaving for the sea. Te impact can endanger the safety and catches of fshermen. Based on Figure 6(a), it can be seen that there was a decrease in rainfall, which was quite extreme in 1997. According to [59], 1997 was a dry year because the El Nino phenomenon took place, which was also the year of the Indian Ocean Dipole Mode (IODM) in the Indian  Ocean. In general, in Indonesia in 1997, there was an extraordinary drought due to the rainy season, which occurred in a short period. In addition, there were numerous forest and bushfres in Indonesia in 1997, particularly on Sumatra. Figure 6(b) shows a signifcant increase in the average annual temperature in the Bengkulu coastal area (Table 5), ranging from 1.1°C to 1.2°C. Areas with relatively warmer sea surface temperatures are in the waters west of Bengkulu, where there are temperature anomalies, the sea level reaches +1°C [60]. Facts show that the average air temperature in 1850 difered signifcantly from the current situation. From 1850 to 1910, there was a climate anomaly with the rise and fall of the average temperature of the Earth's surface. Te temperature in the Bengkulu Coastal Area also varies, but the annual fuctuation is very small, and the temperature diference is more infuenced by the altitude.
Overall, the humidity in the Bengkulu Coastal Area decreased (Table 5 and Figure 6(c)) along with the increased air temperature. Climate change greatly afects individual's, population's, and the community's physiology and behavior. Fish can die in extreme conditions such as increased water temperature, low dissolved oxygen concentration, and low water pH. Environmental conditions that are not optimal can reduce the metabolic rate, growth, and egg-laying ability of fsh, change metamorphosis, and afect the endocrine system and crocodile patterns [28]. Tese changes directly afect the fsh population and community structure, which in turn afect the fshery stock.
Fishermen also have local knowledge that can be used to deal with conditions at sea. However, some of the local knowledge that fshers currently have is not always appropriate in uncertain conditions. So, local knowledge needs to be balanced with global knowledge, namely, knowledge about climate change [61,62]. In the Bengkulu Coastal Area, fshers understand very well that there is an increase in extreme weather events due to the coast's characteristics that are directly opposite to the Indian Ocean, which is prone to high waves, storms, and strong winds, for example, the Durga Cyclone in the waters southwest of Bengkulu Te west coast of Bengkulu is more subject to abrasion. It has the characteristics of deeper waters because it borders the Indonesian Ocean, which has larger currents and waves,  so that fshers can understand various changes in climate indicators. Extreme events such as high waves, storms, and big waves are more common on the Bengkulu Coast, so fshers understand this indicator well (Table 6). Fishermen, for example, are familiar with sea currents, which, according to some sources, typically occur between the 15th and 21st of every month. Outside of these dates, the ocean currents are usually calm. If there is a sudden change, fshermen can feel it through the rising waves. Fishermen on the coast of Bengkulu can also know that the wind that resembles a cloud that is seen hanging above the sea surface is a sign of strong winds. Te fshermen fnally did not dare go to sea in such conditions. Te occurrence of weather anomalies causes fshers to have difculty predicting the start of the west season (wave season) and east season (shady season), whereas certainty is very important because fshermen use small boats, they are very sensitive to changes in weather. Not infrequently, due to sudden weather changes, they are forced to return to land because they see a cloud hanging in the middle of the sea, which is considered a sign of strong winds. Te west monsoon has also become longer than usual as a result of climate change. Climate change not only makes the lives of fshermen more uncertain, but it also makes their lives harder.

Adaptation Responses.
Several responses are used for adaptation to climate change in small-scale fsheries, e.g., diversifcation of fshing gears, timing fshing adjustments, utilization of social networks, and changes in the fshing grounds. Te adverse efects of climate change, such as sea-level rise, coastal erosion, extreme waves, and tidal fooding, have signifcantly reduced fshing productivity. According to [63,64], these efects hurt small-scale fsheries the most because they mostly depend on capture fsheries.
Our interviews revealed that fshers with experience of climatic stresses were more likely to implement adaptation strategies, upholding the theory that risk experience infuences response behavior [65,66]. Fishers implemented a wide range of adaptation strategies, but the most commonly mentioned strategies were to adjust the fshing time and look for information about weather and climate change, with reduced climate vulnerability as a secondary beneft (Table 7).
For example, climate change that causes extreme waves and strong winds often occur in the east monsoon season and during peak fshing activities. Tis is certainly very detrimental, where boats and fshing facilities on the coast of Bengkulu are still traditional and not yet equipped to face storms or big waves. So fshers need to adjust their fshing and fshing activities to reduce the risk of climate change.
Te majority of fshers in Bengkulu also choose to look for complete information about weather and climate change, with the use of social networks as the most widely used adaptation option to reduce the impact of climate change (Table 7). Fishermen often access weather information from the BMKG website as a reference for going to sea. On the coast of Bengkulu, fshers have limited economic and fnancial resources, so the adaptation option is the most widely used because it does not require a lot of economic resources, technology, or other resources beyond the capabilities of fshers. Climate change causes changes in sea surface temperature and water column stratifcation, affecting the upwelling of the ocean [67]. Changes in ocean circulation and the upwelling process cause changes in fsh migration patterns and fsh schools [67]. Tis is also in line with the opinion of an ecologist [68], who states that the most productive part of the ocean is where the upwelling occurs. Fish migration, which occurs when schools of certain fsh cross a fshing area, is what fshermen refer to fshing season or fsh migration. Tis change in fsh seasons greatly afects fshers' income, considering that some fsh species only come in certain seasons. According to fshers, climate change is thought to have signifcantly impacted the fshing season.
Poverty in fshing communities causes fshers to have limited resources, especially economic resources. Another adaptation option that is mostly used by fshermen is the diversifcation of fshing gear. Most fshers use fshing nets as their main fshing gear because they are easy to use and safe for coastal ecosystems. Fishers use fshing rods or strings as additional fshing gear in addition to nets because they are inexpensive and simple to use. So that when fshers spread their nets and wait for the nets to be pulled, they can catch more fsh.
Binary logistic regression has been used to identify factors determining fshers' responses to climate change efects. Te response of fshers is a discrete value (1, 0). One (1) denotes fshers who implement more than 50% of the adaptation strategies in this study to climate change, while zero (0) denotes fshers who adapt to climate change with   1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 4 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 5 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999  less than 50% of the adaptation strategies in this study (the data for binary logistic regression can be seen in the supplementary fle). Boat power (coefcient � 6.51, p < 0.01) and perceived climate changes (coefcient � 2.12, p < 0.05) both had a positive relationship with the adaptation response (Table 8). Te result is conceivable because ships with greater power are better able to deal with changes in climate indicators than small boat fshermen. Strong typhoons or severe weather can also destroy fshing gear such as boats and nets, making it necessary to be prepared for repair or replacement [69]. We have noted during our interviews that the lack of fnancial support was mentioned by the fshers as a problem for boat and gear replacement, boat repairs, starting a new business, or emergency loans [70,71]. In addition, the perception of climate change received by fshers infuences their readiness to adapt to various impacts caused by climate change. Te signifcant relationship between these variables and adaptation response is consistent with previous studies [50,72].
Fishermen in Bengkulu are small-scale fshers who only use small fshing feets, so they are very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Te study [73] explains that to improve the conditions of fshermen due to climate change, an efort is needed to change their fshing operation strategy,  among others, by increasing the size of the boat, moving fshing grounds, and extending fshing operation time during the harvest season. In Indonesia, a strategy has never been implemented for fshing communities to increase the weight of their vessels. Te government, through the Ministry of Maritime Afairs and Fisheries (KKP), built 994 government-assisted fshing vessels in 2017. Of these, 449 units of ships will be built under 5 GT, 384 units of 5 GT ships, 134 units of 10 GT ships, 15 units of 20 GT ships, 6 units of 30 GT ships, and 3 units of 120 GT ships. In addition, 3 transport ships with a freezer capacity of 100 GT will also be built. Tis fshing vessel assistance is intended for local fshermen so that they can optimally and sustainably take advantage of the increasingly abundant fsh resource stock. In addition, it is important to increase the added value and competitiveness of fshery products because it can increase the income and welfare of fshermen.
Fishermen in Bengkulu have a low understanding of climate change. Fishers only understand the changes in the west monsoon and east monsoon winds, which are the references for the fsher to go to sea and catch fsh. Te study [74] also reveals that only a small number of fsher understand the increase in temperature as a result of global warming. Fishers' understanding of climate change is more infuenced by the El Nino and La Nina phenomena that occur and can be felt signifcantly by fshermen. In addition, fshermen are more familiar with the term weather due to the lack of information that they get and their low level of education. With this low level of understanding, the level of adaptation of fshers to climate change will also be low.
Te author in [75] states that climate change has changed the fsher's knowledge system about natural conditions. Teir knowledge that has been adapted to natural conditions in the past is considered no longer able to adapt to current climate changes. Furthermore, the authors [76] explained that the understanding of traditional fshing communities about climate change is based on experience and not on the latest climate change science. Due to the difculty of determining fshing areas, fshermen have to spend more money to go to sea because they have to move from one fshing ground to another. In addition, fshers also have to increase the number of fshing days from once a day to several times a day because of the erratic weather.
Overall, variables such as age, years of schooling, fshing experience, household size, fshing income, boat power, perceived climate change, perceived climate impacts, access  to climate information, access to credit, and group membership simultaneously (Prob > Chi 2 , p < 0.01) had signifcant efects on the adaptation response to climate change with a determinant coefcient of 45.7% (Table 8).

Conclusions and Policy Implications
Te fndings of this study are that fshers consistently realize that there has been a change in climate indicators, which is in line with the historical data on climate change  analyzed in this study. For example, fshers realize that there has been an increase in temperature in the Bengkulu Coastal Area. Tis fnding is in line with data on temperature changes, which also show a signifcant increase. Tis also applies to data on changes in other climate indicators that align with how fshermen feel about climate change and its impacts. Another fnding in this study is that fshermen with more experience prefer to adapt. Climate change is expected to have a tremendous impact on fshermen's livelihoods. Fishermen must adapt to their fshing and fshing activities to reduce the risks from climate change. From our analysis using the binary logit regression model, surprisingly, the coefcient of fshing income was negative and signifcantly afected the adaptation response, but the fshers' perception of climate change signifcantly determined the adaptation responses. Terefore, to strengthen the adaptation responses in small-scale fsheries, fshers' perceptions should be considered.
Climate change adaptation activities in Indonesia must be carried out in an integrated manner with development programs, particularly in the fsheries sector. Programs and adaptation actions that are developed and implemented in Indonesia must involve fshers with regard to the risks and threats that are being felt by fshers now and in the future. Immediate adaptation programs and actions are directed at coastal areas that do have a high level of climate risk and are expected to remain high or tend to increase in the future.

Data Availability
Te data used to support the fndings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request (Gita Mulyasari-gita.mulyasari@unib.ac.id).

Disclosure
Te funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the result. Tis article was written as a part of the research "Livelihood Outcomes of Traditional Fishers in Facing Climate Change in Bengkulu Province."

Conflicts of Interest
Te authors declare that they have no conficts of interest.