Abstract
Increasing attention is paid to the interdependence between the ecological and human dimensions to improve the management of natural resources. Understanding how artisanal fishers see and use the common-pool resources in a co-management system may hold the clue to establishing effective coastal fisheries policies or strengthening existing ones. A more comprehensive planning of the system will also have a bearing on how to reduce conflicts and strengthen social networks. We surveyed artisanal fishers and decision-makers to determine their perceptions about the Management and Exploitation Areas of Benthic Resources (known as MEABR) in Chile's Biobio region. We performed a field study from November 2018 to August 2019, applying a set of questionnaires to determine the ecological and human attributes that contribute to MEABR outcomes, and then constructed composite scores for those attributes according to a multidimensional scaling technique ("Rapfish"). We find that fishers have different perspectives: surprisingly, women highlighted that the institutional dimension was the most influential on MEABR performance, whereas men highlighted the ecological and economic outcomes. The decision-makers' role in the MEABR system was considered adequate, but communication and socialization of regulations were irregular. Results also showed that fishers expressed dissatisfaction with illegal fishing practices (poaching), productivity, profits, and conflicts inside and outside the MEABRs. Our study allowed us to better understand how the MEABR has developed in the region. We recommend strengthening local management strategies with particular attention paid to networking among stakeholders, including gender inclusive relationships.
Highlights
The purpose of fisheries management is to preserve and ensure sustainable use of the resource [1]
This study shows that the perceptions of different stakeholders about the Management and Exploitation Area of Benthic Resources (MEABR) system influence their local fisheries management expectations in Biobio Region
We observed that individuals with differing gender and organizational role, and the accessibility of the MEABR influenced the expectations of this current system
Summary
The purpose of fisheries management is to preserve and ensure sustainable use of the resource [1]. It is still necessary to improve the performance of fisheries where there are serious problems of overfishing and the management system is deficient [2]. Several authors have suggested that integral monitoring should be improved for all fisheries, including artisanal fisheries [3, 4]. As fisheries are complex socio-ecological systems (SES), the interaction between the ecological components and the social realm that make up these systems needs to be strengthened [5, 6]. The need to improve fishery monitoring is urgent in artisanal fisheries, as they produce most of the global landings for direct human consumption [7]. The drive for short-term gains generates fishing impacts such as resource depletion and loss of biodiversity [9]
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