From Supplement to System: Elevating Traditional Knowledge in Pacific Marine Science

Pacific marine ecosystems are increasingly threatened by climate change, overfishing, and pollution. However, conservation science and marine research frequently overlook intergenerational Indigenous knowledge systems. This perspective synthesizes literature and case studies from the Pacific and other regions to demonstrate that traditional knowledge (TK) serves three distinct methodological roles: as a historical baseline, as a generator of hypotheses, and as the governance institution through which management is enacted. Each role addresses a specific limitation of Western marine science. By drawing on customary calendars, bioclimatic indicators, customary closures, and fishers’ oral histories from Vanuatu, Fiji, Hawai’i, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, this analysis shows that TK provides temporal resolution, early-warning signals, and institutional effectiveness that conventional surveys and state-led management often lack. The procedural contribution of this perspective is to argue that TK should be embedded as a foundational element of marine research design in the Pacific, informing site selection, sampling timing, and target species, rather than being added as a supplementary cultural consideration after study design is finalized. Accordingly, this essay advocates for the systematic inclusion of intergenerational TK in the design, governance, and interpretation of Pacific marine research.