Stakeholder participation and satisfaction in the process of developing management plans: The case of Scottish Inshore Fisheries Groups

Abstract

There is a growing interest in engaging stakeholders in the management of fisheries. In Scotland, the form of stakeholder involvement ranges from consultation, with an advisory function, to involvement in planning and decision-making processes. Using two Inshore Fisheries Groups (IFGs) as case studies, the present paper assesses the association between participation and satisfaction of stakeholders in the decision-making process for the development and implementation of their management plans. A survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with the stakeholders. Spearman's correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and ordered logistic regression models were used to assess and explore the associations between stakeholders' participation and satisfaction perceptions towards the process of developing and implementing fisheries plans. The results suggest a statistically significant positive relationship between stakeholders' participation and satisfaction levels. The relationship can be affected by demographic and business characteristics, and the study revealed differences in the level of satisfaction between the two IFGs investigated. Results indicate that increasing stakeholders' satisfaction in the management process plays a key role in the success of increasing stakeholders' participation in decision-making process for the management of the Scottish IFGs and EU fisheries as a whole. Such an assessment provides a better understanding of the motives that may increase the chance of successful stakeholder’ participation in fisheries management.