Coastal fishers’ livelihood adaptations to extreme weather events: an analysis of household strategies in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam

Extreme weather events (EWEs) pose significant threats to fishery-based livelihoods in Quang Ngai (QN) Province, Vietnam. This study describes the types of livelihood adaptations (LAs) that coastal fishers in QN have practiced in response to EWEs and find the varieties in these adaptation strategy choices. In this study, we investigated livelihood adaptation strategies in coastal areas through a household survey and analysis of the collected data using MS Excel. Two sample strategies were used, stratified and random sampling, to select 229 coastal fishers from 11 communes; and data are collected through designed questionnaires. The current study employed statistical disaggregation and comparative methods to analyze coastal fishers’ adaptation strategy choices in QN Province. A range of adaptation strategies were identified consisting of five reactive LAs and eight anticipatory LAs practiced differently by coastal fishers. Among the eight anticipatory LAs, discontinuing production for a certain time is a novel adaptation in QN Province. In addition, a divergence in conducting LAs by production forms was found. On-sand farming and offshore fishers invest in advanced technologies and facilities as adaptive measures. By contrast, fishers who farm in estuaries, lagoons, and nearshore fishing fishers are more likely to change and diversify their jobs. The study’s key findings about livelihood adaptation measures and their differences are significant for improving coastal fisher’s livelihoods in Vietnam. Any efforts at local and national levels in developing mitigation strategies for the impact of EWEs may consider the coastal fisher’s adaptation choices.