Perceptions Of Fishers Research Articles

Shifting baselines in a Mediterranean small-scale fishery

The overexploitation of marine resources has led to a decrease in species abundance over time in many marine ecosystems worldwide. But as new fishers arise throughout the years, the perception of local abundance changes which might result in a “shifting baselines syndrome”. We investigated how the perception of fishers about species abundance changed through time (from 1970 to 2016) and space (five ports), through questionnaires in the small-scale/artisanal fisheries of Murcia, Spain. Two major results emerged, firstly species catches significantly decreased between the decades 1970–1990 and 2000–2016, possibly due to overfishing and habitat degradation. Catches of species with some particular functional traits decreased (96%) possibly due to lower plasticity or to a “fishing down the food web” effect. Secondly, some functional trait categories (very large size, deep water depth, large yearly displacements and very vagile) were the highest in the northern ports of San Pedro del Pinatar and Cartagena while Cabo de Palos had the highest values in species with solitary and territorial behaviour and vagile or sedentary mobility. Fishers’ perception of catch trends of commercial species seemed aligned with other sources of information for this area and might be key information in the absence of more quantitative information.

Understanding changes to fish stock abundance and associated conflicts: Perceptions of small-scale fishers from the Amazon coast of Brazil

The perceptions and knowledge of fishers are very important for fisheries management, especially in data-poor regions such as the Amazon coast of Brazil. Here, the perceptions of fishers were used to analyze the main conflicts faced by small-scale fisheries and to identify the status of fishery resources in the state of Amapá (Brazil). Data from interviews with 359 fishers were analyzed. Conflicts involve diverse actors with different and potentially competing interests and accountabilities, including small-scale and large-scale fishers, intermediaries, and government agents. The main conflict was related to access to fishery resources, including issues with the prohibition of fishing in No-Take Zones and competition with fishing fleets from other regions (outsiders). The lack of control over the access of users has culminated in increasing fishing effort. The invasion of traditional fishing territories was a central argument against the outsiders; however, these conflicts are also strongly related to the exhaustion of fishery resources, with about 75% of respondents perceiving a decrease in fish abundance. This scenario reveals a governance crisis and the weak performance and inability of the government to carry out effective enforcement, monitoring, and surveillance. The presence of people heavily reliant on natural resources in a region with very few alternative sources for livelihoods indicates that sustainable fisheries management requires wider cooperation between the government and all stakeholders, with co-management being required.

The neglected role of religion in fisheries management

AbstractReligion and spirituality have long played important roles in fishery systems around the world, and yet are often neglected in modern fisheries management and research. We review current literature and analyse the major small‐scale fishery on Lake Tanganyika, Africa, to highlight how religion may mediate fishing behaviours. Our study surveyed 154 fishers across 11 landing sites in Tanzania, followed by 15 semi‐structured interviews with key informants including fishery officers and local religious leaders. We identified key connections between religious beliefs/practices and fisher perceptions, behaviour and compliance with harvest restrictions and regulations. We demonstrate that better understanding and accounting for religious dimensions is critical for engaging with fishery stakeholders more effectively and managing global fisheries more sustainably.

Artisanal fishers' perceptions of the ecosystem services derived from a dolphin-human cooperative fishing interaction in southern Brazil

Incorporating the perception and attitudes of key stakeholders into conservation management can contribute to biodiversity conservation and has the potential to resolve human-wildlife conflicts. To this end, there is scope to enhance conservation outcomes by improving the capture and analysis of stakeholders perceptions and translating these into the management decision making process. Here, an ecosystem services approach (i.e. the benefits people obtain from nature) is used to assess the societal benefits derived from a specialized and rare behavior exhibited by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus gephyreus) that cooperatively forage with artisanal fishers in Laguna, southern Brazil. From interviews, we identified ecosystem services based on the perception of artisanal fishers who take part in this interaction. The perceived benefits of cooperative fishing with dolphins, identified from these interviews, were grouped into eight ecosystem services assigned into cultural (n = 7) and provisioning (n = 1) related services. The results showed that experienced fishers were more likely to identify multiple and diverse ecosystem services, while fishers exposed to tourists tended to focus on tourism and recreation leisure as benefits from fishing with dolphins. Our findings show that the human component is a key element in this system and support the proposal that future conservation decisions and management plans of Laguna's bottlenose dolphins should involve artisanal fishers to be more effective. Our findings indicate that an ecosystem services approach could help decision-makers to better integrate social, economic and cultural aspects of human-wildlife interactions into conservation and management strategies for wildlife in a wider context.

Socializing the rain: human adaptation to ecological variability in a fishery, Mweru-Luapula, Zambia

<p><strong>Abstract </strong></p><p>Rainfall drives fishery fertility in Mweru-Luapula, thus rainfall variability contributes to frequent changes in fishing catches. Fishers and traders have adapted their institutions to this variable ecology in a variety of ways, including learning to read the fishery for productive periods and practicing multiple modes of income procurement. By accurately identifying inter-annual, inter-decadal, and longer spans of rainfall trends, future high and low yields can be forecast. This article presents and analyzes annual rainfall in the fishery from 1916-1992 and quantitative fish market data comprised of observed fish catch numbers by species in three markets from September 2004 to September 2005. It uses political ecology to better understand fish production, trade, and subsistence in this South-Central African freshwater fishery. We combine qualitative analysis of fisher and marketer perceptions of the fishery and knowledge of rainfall patterns to show how human behavior is not "tragically" driven, but instead based on the state of the ecological, sociocultural, and socioeconomic environment at a given time.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: African freshwater fisheries, rainfall modeling, political ecology, Mweru-Luapula, Zambia, climate change</p>

Perceptions of Commercial and Recreational Fishers on the Potential Ecological Impacts of the Block Island Wind Farm (US)

Offshore wind is gaining momentum in the United States as a viable source for meeting domestic energy needs. Although offshore wind farms have been developed in Europe and Asia, the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF) is the first offshore wind farm built in North America. To improve marine resource management, it is critical to understand the impacts of the wind farm on marine resource users in context. Little is known about the impacts of offshore wind farms on marine resource users in the United States. This study investigates recreational and commercial fishers’ perceptions of the impacts of the BIWF on the local marine ecosystem. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 fishers, mostly based out of Block Island or Point Judith, Rhode Island (US), in the summer and fall of 2017. During the interviews, fishers were asked about their perceptions of changes in the marine ecology of the wind farm area during and after the offshore wind turbines were constructed, and how their activities in the area have changed since the wind farm was installed. Results indicate that there were perceived impacts of the BIWF on the local ecosystem and the behavior of the marine resource users. For some recreational fishers, the wind farm functioned as a destination or target and served as an artificial reef for spearfishing. For some commercial fishers, the increase in recreational fishing due to the establishment of the BIWF crowded out commercial fishers in these areas. As the offshore wind farm industry expands within US waters, findings from this study and others like it provide valuable insights on the potential impacts of these wind farms on marine resource users.

Fisher perceptions of threats and fisheries decline in the heart of the Coral Triangle

Larsen SN, Leisher C, Mangubhai S, Muljadi A, Tapilatu RF. 2018. Fisher perceptions of threats and fisheries decline in the heart of the Coral Triangle. Ocean Life 2: 41-46. The Coral Triangle contains the most species-diverse coral reefs in the world, and at its center is the Raja Ampat archipelago in West Papua, Indonesia. The marine resources of Raja Ampat are an important source of food and livelihood for thousands of people, but overfishing and destructive fishing practices threaten its coral reefs and fisheries. To better understand the threats, we surveyed the ‘most knowledgeable fishers’ in all 88 of Raja Ampat’s coastal villages (n = 495) in 2003-2005. We analyzed the links between declines in fish catch and threats to marine resources as perceived by fishers. Blast fishing, cyanide fishing, and ‘outsiders’ were perceived to be the causes of the fish declines and the greatest ongoing threats to fisheries resources. We also found evidence of inter-generational differences in perceptions on the health of local fisheries. For fishers who had over 15 years of fishing experience, 77% reported a decrease in fish catch. For fishers who had less than 5 years of experience, only 41% reported a decrease in catch. Education and outreach on illegal fishing practices and the benefits of healthy coral reef ecosystems are likely to be ongoing needs in communities in Raja Ampat.Coral reefs

Evaluating the recreational fishery management toolbox: Charter captains’ perceptions of harvest controls, limited access, and quota leasing in the guided halibut fishing sector in Alaska

Examining the reasons why individuals choose to participate or comply with certain fishing regulations is a key part of successful fisheries management. This paper presents a case study that evaluates fisher perceptions of multiple recreational fishery regulations, including traditionally used methods of bag and size limits and a novel regulation involving quota leasing, in the for-hire (i.e., charter) recreational fishing sector for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) in Alaska. This study examined responses from open-ended and Likert-scale questions from semi-structured interviews with 45 charter operators in Homer and Sitka. Our results highlight that controls on individual harvest can be perceived to have unintended consequences for charter businesses, such as effects on profitability and distance traveled. In response to open-ended questions on a voluntary quota leasing program, participants discussed themes of inequity reflecting broader perceptions of conflicts with the commercial sector and the management system. Perceived inequities that have not been fully addressed can shape how stakeholders feel about current management institutions and affect compliance. Therefore, it is important to understand the historical and political contexts of fishery systems to better anticipate support for future management approaches.

Perceptions of climate and ocean change impacting the resources and livelihood of small-scale fishers in the South Brazil Bight

Coastal fishing communities are closely linked to the biological and ecological characteristics of exploited resources and the physical conditions associated with climate and ocean dynamics. Thus, the human populations that depend on fisheries are inherently exposed to climate variability and uncertainty. This study applied an ethno-oceanographic framework to investigate the perceptions of fishers on climate and ocean change to better understand the impacts of climate change on the coastal fishing communities of the South Brazil Bight. Seven coastal fishing communities that cover the regional diversity of the area were selected. Fishers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The results suggest that fishers have detected climate-related changes in their environment such as reduced rainfall, increased drought events, calmer sea conditions, increases in air and ocean temperatures, changes in wind patterns and shoreline erosion. The perceptions of the fishers were compared to the available scientific data, and correlations were found with rainfall, wind speed and air and ocean temperatures. New hypotheses were raised based on the perceptions of fishers about sea level, coastal currents and sea conditions such as the hypothesis that the sea has become calmer. These perceived changes have positive and negative effects on the yields and livelihoods of fishers. The present work is the first evaluation of the perceptions of fishers on climate and ocean change and brings new understandings of climate-fishery-human interactions as well as provides inputs for future adaptation plans.

Discerning the culture of compliance through recreational fisher's perceptions of poaching

Compliance is critical for effective conservation, and non-compliance regularly negates the desired outcomes of the world's marine protected areas. To increase compliance, practitioners must understand why resource users are breaking the rules, why these behaviours continue to occur, and how to effectively confront non-compliance. This study interviewed 682 recreational fishers of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) to examine the social components of compliance management. These components included fisher's perceptions of non-compliance, or poaching (defined here as fishing in no-take zones), as well as the beliefs, attitudes, normative influences, consumptive orientation and perceived behavioural controls that may influence fisher's decisions to poach. Encouragingly, most fishers had high perceptions of the legitimacy of management agencies and thought poaching was socially and personally unacceptable. However, these findings suggest that four (mis)perceptions or mechanisms are likely operative and at least partially responsible for continued non-compliance by fishers. These included pluralistic ignorance, false consensus, social learning, and a perceived lack of deterrence. Numerous tools can be used to address and correct these perceptions, including social norms and influence approaches, strengthened coercive deterrence measures, fear-arousing communications, and social outreach. If properly implemented, these tools and approaches should not only increase compliance but also reduce support (whether active or passive) for a culture of non-compliance.

Mangroves, fishers, and the struggle for adaptive comanagement: applying the social-ecological systems framework to a marine extractive reserve (RESEX) in Brazil

Brazil has a network of marine extractive reserves (RESEX), a form of marine protected area (MPA) using comanagement. The RESEX program aims to bring traditionally marginalized populations with natural resource dependent livelihoods into national development processes by empowering them to participate in governance and steward biodiversity conservation. We apply the social-ecological systems framework (SESF) and collective action theory to diagnose challenges for comanagement in the Caete-Teperacu marine RESEX near Braganca, Brazil, a multiuse mangrove estuary supporting a small-scale crab fishery. We conducted key informant interviews and build on over 20 years of research in the region to provide an overarching analysis of the challenges facing comanagement. We describe the variables from the SESF in the case context and find that many social and ecological variables interact in clusters over time, and these clusters can be identified as themes, including (1) social and political momentum supporting the RESEX; (2) shifting perceptions of local residents and fishers; (3) patron-client relationships and social-ecological traps; (4) challenges with institutional fit; and (5) the interactions between harvesting closures, compensation, and dependence on local natural resources. Furthermore, we use collective action theory to help explain the role that each variable plays in either hindering or enabling successful governance. Our findings suggest that institutional resilience is needed to make RESEX adaptive to shifting social and political momenta. It could do this by providing more platforms for communication, deliberation, and knowledge exchange among the relevant actors. We believe our findings reflect broader challenges facing RESEX implementation throughout Brazil, and lessons can be learned for MPAs facing difficulties with the implementation of comanagement worldwide.

Social wellbeing and commons management failure in a small-scale bag net fishery in Gujarat, India

Social scientists have long recognized that fishing is perceived by many coastal communities as a way of life that does much more than just provide material benefits. A corollary to this is that fishers are often reluctant to quit fishing. Marine fisheries are complex and dynamic, and are often subject to classic commons dilemmas. These dilemmas have become much more acute in recent decades as pressures on the world’s small-scale fisheries have mounted. We argue that a holistic social wellbeing approach provides a valuable perspective from which to view changing fisher perceptions of bag net fishing in the face of commons management failure in Gir Somnath District in Gujarat State, India. Fishers’ perceptions of fishing as a desirable occupation are not shaped by only their job satisfaction. Ineffective governance and largely failed institutions are the factors that fishers blame for the recent crisis in their fishery. Many fishers are pessimistic about the future of fishing and do not want their children to be a part of this occupation that was vibrant until recently.

Small-scale shrimp fisheries on the Brazilian coast: Stakeholders perceptions of the closed season and integrated management

The aim of this study is to describe small-scale fishing for Atlantic seabob shrimp and to analyse the perceptions of traditional fishers regarding the temporary suspension of fishing accompanied by financial compensation -closed season-along the north-eastern and southeastern coasts of Brazil. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with 80 artisanal fishers of the Barra de Caravelas (n = 36) and Santa Cruz Cabrália (n = 12) communities in the state of Bahia in north-eastern Brazil, and Anchieta (n = 18) and Barra Nova (n = 14) in the state of Espírito Santo in the south-eastern Brazil. The fishers shrimp are predominantly male (100%) with a mean age of 47 years. The vessels length used are up to 10 m. According to the fishermen, the amount paid by the Brazilian government as a subsidy during the closed season is not sufficient to support their families. Fishermen are against the current closed season of Atlantic seabob fishing, claiming that this period does not actually correspond whit the breeding season or the recruitment of the species. Even during the Atlantic seabob closed season, some fishermen catch this resource and thus break the law, as seen in Anchieta (56%, n = 10) and Barra de Caravelas (9%, n = 03). The fact that the fishers disagree with the closed season and do not obey the law shows that the management measure enforced on the northeast and southeast coasts of the country is not as effective as originally proposed. This demonstrates the need to understand local perceptions of this issue and to include the fishers in decision-making related to management and public measures involving shrimp fishing.

Fishers' Perceptions of the Recurrence of Dynamite-Fishing Practices on the Coast of Tanzania

Dynamite or blast fishing remains the most pervasive destructive fishing method in the coastal waters of Tanzania. It constitutes a major threat to small-scale fisheries through degradation of reefs and other critical habitats for fish. The Tanzanian Government has implemented several measures including a high rate of patrols and surveillance campaigns in the sea to try to deter the use of dynamite in fishing. However, most of these measures have failed to reduce its occurrence over the past years. Little is known on why existing management measures are failing to generate effective solutions to address dynamite and other forms of destructive fishing activities. This study was undertaken to examine perceptions of fishers on the persistent recurrence of dynamite-fishing activities within the present fisheries’ management regulations. A random sample of 180 individual fishers was interviewed in two coastal districts using a household survey questionnaire. Key informants, semi-structured interviews and participant observations were used to collect additional data. Almost two thirds of survey respondents felt that an apparent recurrence of dynamite fishing is attributed to the inconsistencies of the fisheries management approaches deployed to thwart the use of dynamite. However, other factors such as absence of appropriate organisation of the many involved actors, kinship ties and migrant fishers played crucial role on the persistence of dynamite fishing. There was a common perception among all survey participants that lack of trust and transparency towards and within anti-dynamite initiatives negatively impacted the involvement of fishers in their efforts to reduce the use of dynamite. An improved situation where decision-making processes are coordinated among fishers, non-governmental and governmental stakeholders is important to support ongoing management measures, in order to increase legitimacy and long-term success of efforts to get rid of destructive fishing practices among small-scale fishers in Tanzania.

Fishers’ perceptions of the performance of hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha) sanctuaries in Bangladesh

A sanctuary is a specific form of protected area and considered to be an important management measure for the conservation and management of fisheries resources. Using socioeconomic and biological indicators, this study investigates the perceptions of fishers towards sanctuaries that were established in the rivers of Meghna and Padma and in inshore waters of Bangladesh since 2005 to protect the declining hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) populations. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from six communities adjacent to five hilsa sanctuaries and then analyzed to know the socioeconomic profile of fishers as well as their perceptions of the performance of sanctuaries. The majority of fishers felt that an apparent recent increase in hilsa catch is due to the establishment of sanctuaries. Their perception is well supported by catch statistics that show higher overall hilsa production both from inland and marine waters. However, fishery closure led to substantial economic hardship due to lost income. If the sanctuaries are to function effectively, issues (e.g. lost income) affecting fishers must be addressed by offering compensation schemes so that fishers are able to support their families. The process has to be transparent, inclusive and equitable. There is also a need to support alternative livelihoods for fishers in order to reduce dependence on hilsa fishing. Moreover, fishers must be provided with economic and/or other incentives so as to share responsibilities to protect and manage sanctuaries successfully. Since fishers’ involvement is key to the success of sanctuaries, social acceptance of fish sanctuaries by fishers is a must.

Trends in small-scale artisanal fishing of sea cucumbers in Oceania

Multi-species sea cucumber fisheries in Oceania involve vast numbers of small-scale fishers exploiting stocks on coral reefs and tropical lagoons. Fishery development measures might need to be specific to locations or fisher groups, and regulations should be appropriate to fishing activities. To understand fishing among countries, locations, gender and age, we conducted questionnaire-based interviews of 479 sea cucumber fishers in Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia and Tonga. Fishers included youth and elderly, and the average age within countries was 36–42 years. Women commonly gleaned sea cucumbers from shallow habitats and dived for them in some countries. Although spatially variable, our results indicate intense fishing pressure based on high trip frequencies and fishing effort. Catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) differed significantly among countries and locations, and fishers on some islands caught high numbers of low-value species. Young fishers went fishing more often, but age did not affect fishing effort and CPUE. Fishers collected a wide range of sea cucumbers, and up to 27 species were harvested in Fiji. Species composition in catches differed significantly among countries and between genders; women usually harvest species typical of shallower reef habitats. Fishers tended to view stocks as declining or greatly over-exploited. Based on fisher knowledge, recent catch rates for an average fishing day have declined by 33–92% across the study countries compared to 10+ years in the past. Our study shows that fishing modes, catch rates and catch composition in small-scale fisheries can be highly context-dependent. Management measures and interventions to support fisher livelihoods must consider gender differences and location-specific fishing activities. Sharp declines in catch rates over time in all countries, fisher perceptions of resource trajectories, and a predominance of low-value species in present-day harvests, provide strong evidence of widespread over-exploitation.

Traditional fisher perceptions on the regional disappearance of the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis from the central coast of Brazil

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 29:189-200 (2016) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00711 Theme Section: Biology and ecology of sawfishes Traditional fisher perceptions on the regional disappearance of the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis from the central coast of Brazil José Amorim Reis-Filho1, 2, 3,*, Renato H. A. Freitas4, Miguel Loiola1, 5, Luciana Leite6, Gabriel Soeiro3, Heigon H. Q. Oliveira7, Cláudio L. S. Sampaio8, José de Anchieta C. C. Nunes1, 2, Antoine O. H. C. Leduc1 1Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia e Biomonitoramento, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campi Ondina, Salvador,BA 40.170-000, Brazil 2Laboratório de Ecologia Bentônica, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campi Ondina, Salvador BA 40.170-115, Brazil 3Instituto de Educação, Ciência e Utilidade Sócio Ambiental (ECUS), Rio Vermelho, Salvador, BA 40.170-115, Brazil 4Laboratório de Biologia de Teleósteos e Elasmobrânquios (LABITEL), Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC 88040-900, Brazil 5Laboratório de Recifes de Corais e Mudanças Globais, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campi Ondina, Salvador BA 40.170-115, Brazil 6Department of Geography, Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EN, UK 7Programa de Pós Graduação em Diversidade Animal, Campi Ondina, Salvador BA 40.170-115, Brazil 8Laboratório de Ictiologia e Conservação, Departamento de Engenharia de Pesca, Unidade de Ensino Penedo, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Penedo, AL 57.200-000, Brazil *Corresponding author: amorim_agua@yahoo.com.br ABSTRACT: Overfishing is considered one of the main threats to the health of global marine fish populations. Elasmobranchs that are characterized by low reproductive outputs may be particularly sensitive to intense fishing pressures. The sawfishes stand out as a highly threatened group, due in part to their life history in shallow coastal waters and their ease of capture. In Brazil, sawfish populations are now virtually extinct and these declines have gone undocumented, leaving their precise causes and timing poorly understood. Here, based on ecological and fisheries knowledge of local fishers, we document the disappearance of largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis from 5 estuaries on the central Brazilian coast. Fisher knowledge, combined with an estuarine morphology perspective, revealed important insights on this species, along with a timeline of its decline. Furthermore, fishers’ accounts of the protracted decline revealed clear inter-estuary differences in the timing of population declines, potentially influenced by local geomorphological features. The onset of sawfish population decline appears to have been earlier in estuaries with a direct connection to the sea than in estuaries connected to an inner bay, occurring in the former case from the 1930s onward. A second wave of intensifying decline began in the 1970s in more structurally complex estuaries. Pressures from artisanal and modern fishery practices appear to have led to an earlier population decline in structurally less complex estuaries, while in larger and more complex ones this decline occurred decades later. The replacement of traditional by more modern fishing practices may have triggered the initial phase of local sawfish extinctions. KEY WORDS: Largetooth sawfish · Population decline · Overfishing · Estuarine morphology · Local ecological knowledge · Brazil Full text in pdf format Supplementary material NextCite this article as: Reis-Filho JA, Freitas RHA, Loiola M, Leite L and others (2016) Traditional fisher perceptions on the regional disappearance of the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis from the central coast of Brazil. Endang Species Res 29:189-200. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00711 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 29, No. 3. Online publication date: January 21, 2016 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2016 Inter-Research.

Fishers, Fair Trade, and finding middle ground

The goal of Fair Trade certification is to contribute to sustainable development by offering trading conditions that are transparent and equitable. One important condition is improved market access and strengthened producer organizations. In regions like Southeast Asia this goal can be hard to achieve in value chains where local middlemen play a central role in not only trading fish, but also providing fishers with access to capital, infrastructure and essential services. Despite these contributions, Fair Trade principles presume that middlemen adversely control market benefits that should accrue to primary producers. The social and economic contributions of middlemen, and the potentially dependent relationship fishers have with them, is therefore a controversial issue if Fair Trade fish is going to be marketed as a product capable of improving fisher livelihoods. In this paper, we explore the role of middlemen in the first ever Fair Trade USA fishery: handline-caught yellowfin tuna from Molucca in Indonesia. Interviews with fishers, middlemen, the local processor and those involved in Fair Trade implementation were conducted and analzed to understand changes to the organization of the value chain and of the community by defining how middlemen contribute to the assets and capabilities of fishers. The results indicate that middlemen contribute but also control the full range of assets required to enable fishers to fulfill their value chain functions. Introduction of Fair Trade has facilitated a rapid reorganization of value chain structure in the fishery with notable impacts on fisher perceptions of the resource and the market. However, it remains unclear what this value chain reorganization means for community structure. The opportunities and challenges for Fair Trade USA fish to be an empowering force depend heavily on fisher-middlemen dynamics being adequately considered.

Perceptions of Fishers towards Marine Reserves in Iloilo Coastal Communities, Central Philippines

Perceptions of Fishers towards Marine Reserves in Iloilo Coastal Communities, Central Philippines

Risk perceptions and conservation ethics among recreational anglers targeting threatened sharks in the subtropical Atlantic

Recreational fisheries management has traditionally been more concerned with quantifiable, catch-centric goals than angler-centric perceptions. However, the attitudes of fishers affect their behavior, which can alter the effort they make towards conservation actions, and ulti- mately, the outcome for exploited or threatened species. We conducted a quantitative human dimensions study into the drivers of conservation attitudes and perceptions of recreational fishers towards sharks. This was accomplished through a targeted online snowball survey on a sample of 158 recreational anglers in the state of Florida, a global hotspot for recreational fishing. Subjective knowledge of shark conservation issues was the most consistent driver for pro-shark conservation attitudes. Anglers ranked the great hammerhead and tiger shark as being the most threatened species, a result that is generally consistent with empirical data. Anglers did not identify species- specific differences in capture stress as an important factor in determining survivability, a result that somewhat contradicts available empirical data. In general, fishers were more supportive of management actions that would be the least restrictive to fishing, except in the case of highly threatened species. Anglers believed commercial fishing had the largest impact on shark popula- tions, and recreational fishing the least, which is largely consistent with empirical information but could also reflect angler bias. Taken together, our findings suggest anglers generally care about shark conservation, but are unaware of some potential angling threats to sharks and possible con- servation solutions. Further, anglers who consider themselves knowledgeable about shark conser- vation will be more sympathetic to shark management and more likely to adopt fishing practices that reduce shark mortality and sub-lethal impacts.