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In January 2018, I worked in the field conducting economic experiments on coalition formation. The team consisted of me, Prof. Carlos Chávez (University of Talca, Chile), and seven other research assistants from different Chilean universities.
The fieldwork covered the Maule, Biobío, and Los Lagos regions of Chile, where we worked with fishing communities that hold Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries (TURFs). A total of 258 fishers from 18 communities participated. Prof. Carlos Chávez is the PI, and Prof. John Stranlund (University of Massachusetts Amherst) and Prof. Jim Murphy (University of Alaska Anchorage) are the other two principal investigators.
Keep reading to learn more about our experience!
Maule Region (12 - 14 of January, 2018)
We conducted our first round of experiments along the coast of the Maule region. We started on January 12th, and our first stop was Duao, a coastal town west of Curicó. This scenic cove—and, to my surprise, a lovely tourist spot for sunbathing—greeted us with cloudy skies and pleasant weather (around 20°C) to begin our work.
The plan was to run the experiment with 18 fishers on the first day. In the end, we managed to gather 12, about 5% of our final target. That session was held in Iloca.
The second day went better. We headed from Duao to Constitución, a larger coastal town than Duao or Iloca, and from there we traveled to Pellines and Putú, where we gathered 30 fishers between the two locations. The weather was nicer than on the first day—a bit colder, but the sun shone all day long. We also visited a cool Irish bar near downtown, which is unusual in Chile and made me feel like I was back in New England.
While we were hanging out between sessions, we had the chance to watch how fishers launch a boat into the ocean. I had never seen that before. It was fascinating, so I made sure to record a video (see below!).
On our last day in this region (day 3), we returned to Putú to run another session with six participants. After the final experiment in the region, my overall impression was that fishers are cooperative, probably because the communities we visited were relatively small. Next stop: the Biobío region! (See the next entry to find out what happened there!)
Biobio Region (15 - 18 of January, 2018)
We arrived in Concepción on the night of January 14th. Concepción is the capital of the Biobío region and the city where I have lived almost my entire life (so I’m admittedly biased when I say it’s the best city in Chile!). Our first day of activities in this region was hectic: we ran four sessions of 12 participants each in Coliumo and Cerro Verde in a single day! It was amazing to hit that target. I always enjoy the landscape in Coliumo. The cove sits on a peninsula, and all the artisanal boats are clustered along the shore (see the pictures!). We also did a bit of sightseeing and visited Dichato for lunch. I have childhood memories of that place—I used to spend a month there every summer break. The town was rebuilt after the 2010 tsunami and now looks quite different from when I was a kid. Between sessions, we found a nice spot on the road between Coliumo and Cerro Verde from which we could see the entire Concepción Bay!
On the second day, we went to Lota Bajo and Caleta Maule. The fishers’ union in Lota Bajo is located right next to the Navy—quite a help for monitoring their area, and something rare in this sector. In Caleta Maule, we had some free time before the session started, which was a perfect opportunity to go to the beach and unwind. We found some starfish floating at the water’s edge, rocking with the waves. I had always thought that kind of animal lived in the tropics! On that beach, we also saw a sign stating: “Shellfish extraction not allowed. Management area.” I wonder whether they can enforce it without any trouble.
On the 17th, we began our day on the Hualpén Peninsula and then traveled to Arauco. At our first destination, we covered the Chome and Perone coves. Chome is well known because a whaling station began operating there at the end of the 19th century. The station closed in the 1950s, and its ruins are still visible today. After running two successful sessions, we drove an hour and a half to Arauco, where we ran one session, and then another in Llico. On the road to Llico, we saw a wind farm. I’m not sure, but I think it was built about two years ago.
Our last day of experiments in the Biobío region was the 18th. We spent the first half of the day working in Tubul and then returned to Concepción for the night. After our efforts in both the Maule and Biobío regions, we had reached a total of 198 observations. See the next entry to find out what happened during our stay in the Los Lagos region!
Los Lagos Region (20 - 22 of January, 2018)
On the 19th, we traveled from Concepción to Puerto Montt. The bus ride took nine hours!!! (I used the time to work, update the blog, and catch up on some weird David Lynch films.) Our goal in this region was to work with 60 fishers over three days.
On the first day, we ran experiments in Caleta Amortajado and Maullín. Both coves lie along the Maullín River, west of Puerto Montt. The main resource they harvest is pelillo, a seaweed used in the pharmaceutical industry. What a lovely place to work. The sunset was amazing—you could see volcanoes, vessels, and beautiful sky colors all at once. There was a wedding on the second floor of the union building, so we had to work with music in the background (not a bad thing if you’re sleepy).
Between sessions, we had time to visit Parque Pangal, a perfect spot to rest after many days in the field. We ended the day at “El Tablón del Ancla.” I had a bet with two other team members: who could finish the giant hamburger they serve (see the picture at the bottom of me eating the “Tablón” burger). It ended in a draw!
The next day, we ran experiments in Caleta La Arena and La Pasada. Caleta La Arena is where travelers from all over the world gather to begin the Carretera Austral trip (still on my to-do list). The cove is surrounded by mountains, fog, turquoise water, and small eateries. We tried the empanadas at “Donde la Pola.” As their sign claims, they’re the best empanadas in the south! Honorable mention goes to their cat, who slept next to the stove the entire time we were there and didn’t even wake up when tourists petted him. After that session, we traveled to La Pasada, where we had to take a ferry across the river. At the end of the session, one of the participating fishermen told me what the equilibrium solution of the game was! We nicknamed him “Fisherman Nash” after that.
The final day of our adventure was the 22nd. We had just one session, in Carelmapu, and with it we successfully reached our sample target. The union president was very friendly. We talked with him at length, and he told us that 15 years ago the union had 700 members, but poaching, lower prices, and other unfavorable conditions have reduced that number to 200. It’s a real motivation for our work, but at the same time it’s unfortunate that they haven’t been able to thrive in such a productive area. That night, we celebrated the end of our fieldwork at “El Fogón de Pepe”...
I hope to return to the field soon!!!
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