scholarly journals Specialised recreational fishers reject sanctuary zones and favour fisheries management

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asha McNeill ◽  
Julian Clifton ◽  
Euan S. Harvey

Policy-makers are faced with the ongoing challenge of designing management interventions which conserve marine ecosystems while maintaining a sustainable level of resource user access. Recreational fishers are a key user group to consider as their activities can have significant impacts on fish populations. In some contexts, recreational fishers also represent a significant proportion of the public and can hold considerable influence on governing authorities. This issue is particularly pertinent for marine protected areas as significant opposition exists within some local communities, including recreational fishers, and community support is critical to achieving success. An online survey was employed across Western Australia to investigate recreational fishers' motivations and their attitudes towards fisheries management and different types of spatial closures, including marine protected areas. The results show the most specialised fishers demonstrate stronger support for traditional fisheries management compared to other groups, but stronger opposition to closed fishing zones specified as sanctuary zones. In comparison, no strong opposition is present for temporarily closed fishing zones or those protecting unique or fragile places. Our results suggest that rather than spatial fishing closures, it is the designated purpose of sanctuary zones for precautionary management which some specialised fishers reject. Understanding patterns of support are vital for policy-makers to design and communicate policy which is seen as appropriate and legitimate amongst stakeholders, particularly to those specialised fishers who hold significant influence in fishing communities.

Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Ourania Tzoraki ◽  
Svetlana Dimitrova ◽  
Marin Barzakov ◽  
Saad Yaseen ◽  
Vasilis Gavalas ◽  
...  

The ongoing ‘refugee crisis’ of the past years has led to the migration of refugee researchers (RRs) to European countries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RRs often had to work from home and/or to continue their social, cultural and economic integration process under new conditions. An online survey carried out to explore the impact of the pandemic on the refugee researchers showed that RRs found it difficult to adapt their everyday working life to the ‘home’ setting. The majority have had neither a suitable work environment at home nor the appropriate technology. Although they stated that they are rather pleased with the measures taken by the public authorities, they expressed concern about their vulnerability due to their precarious contracts and the bureaucratic asylum procedures, as the pandemic has had a negative impact on these major issues. The majority of RRs working in academia seem not to have been affected at all as far as their income is concerned, while the majority of those employed in other sectors became unemployed during the pandemic (58%). Recommendations are provided to the public authorities and policy makers to assist RRs to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic on their life.


2019 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 104831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard N. Muallil ◽  
Melchor R. Deocadez ◽  
Renmar Jun S. Martinez ◽  
Wilfredo L. Campos ◽  
Samuel S. Mamauag ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Di Franco ◽  
Pierre Thiriet ◽  
Giuseppe Di Carlo ◽  
Charalampos Dimitriadis ◽  
Patrice Francour ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Mifsud ◽  
Marielle Verret

Abstract The marine environment represents a central component of Maltaís local environment, and its ecosystem services play a vital role in supporting the economy as well as human well-being. Plans have been made to protect the unique ecology found within Maltese waters through the institution of five marine protected areas (MPAs). This quantitative study assessed the environmental knowledge and attitudes of the Maltese public towards the local marine environment, MPAs and education for sustainable development (ESD). A questionnaire was administered to members of the public (n = 200) at three different locations. The study found that although the Maltese public strongly appreciates the beauty of Maltaís marine environment, the level of knowledge surrounding the marine environment is low. Furthermore, the research indicates that while the public agrees that the marine environment should be protected, there is a notable lack of awareness of the five local MPAs. Based on the research findings, a model linking ESD to MPAs and aiming to foster a sense of ownership among the public by encouraging their involvement in the management of local MPAs is proposed.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Ruiz-Frau ◽  
James M. Gibbons ◽  
Hilmar Hinz ◽  
Gareth Edwards-Jones ◽  
Michel J. Kaiser

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly being used as conservation tools in the marine environment. Success of MPAs depends upon sound scientific design and societal support. Studies that have assessed societal preferences for temperate MPAs have generally done it without considering the existence of discrete groups of opinion within society and have largely considered offshore and deep-sea areas. This study quantifies societal preferences and economic support for coastal MPAs in Wales (UK) and assesses the presence of distinct groups of preference for MPA management, through a latent class choice experiment approach. Results show a general support for the protection of the marine environment in the form of MPAs and that society is willing to bear the costs derived from conservation. Despite a general opposition toward MPAs where human activities are completely excluded, there is some indication that three classes of preferences within society can be established regarding the management of potentially sea-floor damaging activities. This type of approach allows for the distinction between those respondents with positive preferences for particular types of management from those who experience disutility. We conclude that insights from these types of analyses can be used by policy-makers to identify those MPA designs and management combinations most likely to be supported by particular sectors of society.


Author(s):  
Pamela Carson ◽  
Krista Louise Alexander

In the past, a member of the public could access an academic library’s collection simply by visiting the library in person and browsing the shelves. However, now that online resources are prevalent and represent the majority of collections budgets and current collections, public access has become more complicated. In Canadian academic libraries, licences negotiated for online resources generally allow on-site access for walk-in users; however access is not granted uniformly across libraries. The goal of this study was to understand whether members of the public are indeed able to access online resources in major Canadian university libraries, whether access to supporting tools was offered, how access is provided, and whether access is monitored or promoted. The study used an online survey that targeted librarians responsible for user services at Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) member libraries. The survey results indicated that some level of free access to digital resources was provided to walk-in users at 90% of libraries for which a survey response was received. However, limitations in methods and modes of access and availability of supporting resources, such as software and printing, varied between the institutions. The study also found that most libraries did not actively promote or monitor non-affiliated user access.  


2008 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prassede Vella ◽  
Robert E. Bowen ◽  
Anamarija Frankic

Abstract Vella, P., Bowen, R. E., and Frankic, A. 2009. An evolving protocol to identify key stakeholder-influenced indicators of coastal change: the case of Marine Protected Areas. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 203–213. In recent years, there has been a growing realization of the need to protect and conserve degrading environments. This can only be achieved through integrated management of environmental protection and the rational use of living and non-living resources. However, no management plan that aims at sustainable development can be successful unless the human factor is included. The concept of ecosystem-based management considers socio-economic issues in evaluating management effectiveness. In this paper, we present a method for selecting and prioritizing socio-economic indicators, using a bottom-up approach involving stakeholder input. This technique is developed further to measure the effectiveness of integrated coastal management, using a Marine Protected Area (MPA) as an example. Stakeholder input is essential at an early stage to ensure MPA management success, providing the opportunity to include public participation and ensure community support. This paper presents a transparent and adaptable indicator ranking protocol and evaluative rules, ensuring that an ecosystem-based approach can be more effectively implemented.


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