Power across scales and levels of fisheries governance: Explaining the active non-participation of fishers in Two Rivers, North Carolina

Abstract

The great emphasis placed on the democratic participation of local user groups as necessary for sustainable natural resource and environmental governance by commons scholars and advocates and practitioners of collaborative natural resource management demands a greater focus on who is and who is not participating in governance processes, and why, as well as the associated consequences. This project examines a case where commercial fishers in Two Rivers, North Carolina practice active non-participation regarding fisheries governance; they choose not to become involved in formal political activities, while instead participating in informal governance activities. I examine the causes for the active non-participation of commercial fisherpeople by tracing power across multiple levels and scales of analysis, which not only shape the participation of local Two River fishers in governance activities, but also lead to environmental degradation. Data was collected through observations, interviews, and document and policy review. An important finding from this study is that although the active non-participation of fishers is a rational response to the inequities of the formal fisheries governance system, their absence is hastening the displacement of commercial fishers from, as well as the degradation of, the fisheries they depend upon for a living.