Small-scale fishing communities are experiencing complex and multifaceted impacts
of climate change that extend beyond economic and ecological dimensions, deeply
affecting social and emotional well-being. This study aimed to characterize the
diverse experiences and emotions of fishing community members related to climate
change and the implementation of sustainable practices. Using an interdisciplinary
community-based approach, we partnered with two Mexican fishing communities.
We conducted 54 open-ended filmed interviews and analyzed them using reflexive
thematic analysis. Based on community member's experiences and local
knowledge, we defined three overlapping experiential domains related to climate
emotions: 1) direct experiences: tangible encounters with environmental change
(e.g., differences in water temperature, quantity and size of species such as sea
urchins), 2) anticipatory experiences: environment-related emotions arising from
anticipated negative changes or imagined futures (e.g., concerns regarding the
impacts of climate change on marine species because they are their source of
income), and 3) vicarious experiences: internalized climate-related experiences of
others (e.g., intragenerational observations regarding El Niño and La Niña
phenomena). Several community members described experiences that spanned
multiple domains, highlighting the complexity behind how people cope with climate
change and its multiple impacts on well-being. Hope emerged as a cross-cutting
theme and was firmly embedded in adaptation strategies already implemented by
the communities, such as ecosystem monitoring, aquaculture, marine protected
areas, fishing closure and livelihood diversification. This "hopeful" emotion emerging
from local adaptation initiatives highlights how the local knowledge and sustainable
practices can contribute to building community well-being and resilience. Our study
offers critical insights into the emotional responses of fishing communities to climate
change, and how local adaptation strategies and collective work can serve as
protective factors for mental health and well-being in the context of climate
disruption, as well as for more culturally grounded and emotionally responsive
adaptation policies.