Can income diversification resolve social-ecological traps in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in the global south? A case study of response diversity in the Tam Giang lagoon, central Vietnam

AbstractIn order to advance both the mapping and theorizing of transnational law, this article considers a range of tactics used by small-scale fisheries (SSFs) in Europe and North America to improve market access, political influence, and legal recognition. Transnational law enables the framing of initiatives not only as implementation practices that occur as a result of international law, but also as transnational regulation in support of SSFs. The article uses the case study of SSFs to draw attention to the rise of ‘transnational localism’. This is defined as the reinforcement of local-specific approaches (reflecting local ecologies, values, and socio-economic specificities) within a transnational structure that provides support and recognition. It offers an alternative to the view that globalization necessitates global, uniform regulatory solutions. Transnational localism challenges the fascination with large certification schemes such as that administered by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in fisheries governance. It implies a need to reconcile transnational challenges with heterogeneous values and community approaches. To capture the simultaneous demand for the local and transnational within transnational law, this article proposes treating the described empowerment tactics within the scope of transnational standards. This requires a rethinking of standards away from fixed technical rules that are uniformly applicable across the globe.

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Bringing analysis of gender and social–ecological resilience together in small-scale fisheries research: Challenges and opportunities

AMBIO ◽

10.1007/s13280-016-0814-5 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 201-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Nozomi Kawarazuka ◽

Catherine Locke ◽

Cynthia McDougall ◽

Paula Kantor ◽

Miranda Morgan

Keyword(s):

Ecological Resilience ◽

Small Scale ◽

Small Scale Fisheries ◽

Social Ecological ◽

Research Challenges ◽

Challenges And Opportunities

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Social-ecological dynamics of the small scale fisheries in Sundarban Mangrove Forest, Bangladesh

Aquaculture and Fisheries ◽

10.1016/j.aaf.2017.12.002 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 38-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Mohammad Mojibul Hoque Mozumder ◽

Md. Mostafa Shamsuzzaman ◽

Md. Rashed-Un-Nabi ◽

Ehsanul Karim

Keyword(s):

Mangrove Forest ◽

Small Scale ◽

Ecological Dynamics ◽

Small Scale Fisheries ◽

Social Ecological ◽

Sundarban Mangrove

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A case study from the southern Cape linefishery 2: Considering one’s options when the fish leave

South African Journal of Science ◽

10.17159/sajs.2017/20160254 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 113 (5/6) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Louise C. Gammage ◽

Astrid Jarre ◽

Charles Mather ◽

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Keyword(s):

Secondary Data ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Scenario Planning ◽

Feedback Loops ◽

Small Scale ◽

Social Ecological ◽

Wide Range ◽

Local Feedback ◽

Resilience Framework

Fishers in the small-scale, commercial linefishery in the southern Cape, South Africa, are exposed to variability and change in the marine social-ecological system of which they are a part. Faced with multi-scalar changes within this complex system, fishers employ a wide range of strategies in reaction to change. As part of a broader study of stressors that bring about change in these systems, this contribution examines the fishers’ responses to these changes and is based on a participant-led, semi-structured interview process of skippers/boat owners, crew, processors and spouses/partners, in six communities in the southern Cape region, and has been supplemented with appropriate secondary data. The results are discussed using a resilience framework. The data were initially considered thematically by stressor, but results identified that a place-based analysis was equally important. Three major groupings were identified: (1) fishers who adapt and show clear business-orientation, (2) fishers who cope, and (3) fishers who react and are thus caught in a poverty trap. In addition to place-specific history, local feedback loops and indirect effects need to be better accounted for to understand these responses to change at various scales. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the basis of scenario planning in the region.

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Enhancing Social Resilience of the Coastal Fishing Communities: A Case Study of Hilsa (Tenualosa Ilisha H.) Fishery in Bangladesh

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10103501 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 3501 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mohammad Mozumder ◽

Md. Wahab ◽

Simo Sarkki ◽

Petra Schneider ◽

Mohammad Islam

Keyword(s):

Local Level ◽

Small Scale ◽

Social Resilience ◽

Income Loss ◽

Social Ecological ◽

The Social ◽

Alternative Means ◽

Building Community ◽

Distribution Of Power

Social resilience is an essential aspect of sustainability in environmental management, especially in poor resource-dependent communities. To better understand the dynamics of social resilience, we have conducted a primarily qualitative study of communities dependent on hilsa fishing in two coastal villages in southern Bangladesh. This study applies concepts of social-ecological system (SES), social resilience and co-management in outlining our qualitative data and framing its interpretation. Our findings show that while the establishment of hilsa sanctuary areas has enhanced the previously low ecological sustainability of local small-scale fishing, the management of this program has challenged the social resilience of hilsa fishers by creating new inequalities in the distribution of power and privilege, in terms of the ways in which seasonal fishing bans are enforced and compensation for income loss during the ban periods is distributed. Based on our findings, we suggest specific measures for strengthening social resilience at the local level, including building community networks, developing community infrastructures, updating existing rules and regulations, providing alternative means of generating income for fishers during the crisis periods (e.g. natural disasters and fishing ban periods) and more active sharing of responsibility between stakeholders and government for management of the hilsa fishery. These findings are also applicable to understanding the issues beyond rules and regulations that co-management arrangements need to address in order to be successful and to enhancing the function of co-management arrangements in improving social resilience within resource-dependent communities.

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