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Sustainability of fishers’ communities in tropical island fisheries from the perspectives of resource use and management: a comparative study of Pohnpei (Micronesia), Mafia (Tanzania), and Guimaras (Philippines)

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Abstract

The fisheries structure, fishing gear, fishing vessels and their ownership, landing sites and markets, as well as fisheries management and fishers’ participation were surveyed in three tropical islands: Pohnpei (Micronesia), Mafia (Tanzania), and Guimaras (Philippines), covering 127 fishers. Labour-intensive gear, including purse seines and ring nets, characterised Mafia fisheries. Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) boats characterised Pohnpei fisheries, and canoes with nonmarine engines were characteristic of Guimaras fisheries. Wooden plank boats with large crews were only seen in Mafia. From a gear/vessel ownership perspective, the fisher categories present were gear fishers, gear-vessel fishers, employers, and casual labour fishers. Casual labour fishers and employers were only apparent in Mafia. The fisheries in Pohnpei had a relatively early age of entry, which was attributed to the urban markets available and family cohesion, while community organisation-based management of these fisheries was weak. Mafia and rural Guimaras fishers depended on middlemen, due to the distance of the market. Deteriorating subsistence-related fishery dependency means that the Guimaras fishers’ community is at risk. The high shared gear/vessel ownership rates and levels of affiliation to community organisations in Mafia reflect government’s timely community sustainability enhancement initiative. Based on our analyses, we propose the “fishers’ community sustainability” concept. The sustainability of a fisher’s community can be judged on (1) the age of entry to the fisheries, (2) the monetary profits made at fish markets and through marketing, (3) the cohesion among the fishers, and (4) the level of subsistence-related dependency on the fishery. The fishery is key to community sustainability, thus ensuring fishery-dependent life. It is essential to consider the above indicators of fishers’ community sustainability during fisheries development.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr. Koichi Sakonju and Mr. Nobuo Lopez of the Overseas Fishery Corporation Foundation of Japan, the FSM office in Pohnpei, Mr John Komakoma of the Mafia Zone Fisheries Resource Protection, Dr Ricardo Babaran and the late Mr. Cornelius Selario of the University of the Philippines Visayas for their assistance in field organisation and in data collection. We acknowledge the Research Institute of Humanity and Nature which funded the field study in Guimaras. Lastly, we thank fishers in Pohnpei, Mafia, and Guimaras.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, Korimoto 1-21-24, Kagoshima, 890-0065, Japan

    Esther Japhet Mulyila

  2. Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Shimoarata 4-50-20, Kagoshima, 890-0056, Japan

    Tatsuro Matsuoka & Kazuhiko Anraku

Authors
  1. Esther Japhet Mulyila
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  2. Tatsuro Matsuoka
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  3. Kazuhiko Anraku
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Correspondence to Tatsuro Matsuoka.

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Mulyila, E.J., Matsuoka, T. & Anraku, K. Sustainability of fishers’ communities in tropical island fisheries from the perspectives of resource use and management: a comparative study of Pohnpei (Micronesia), Mafia (Tanzania), and Guimaras (Philippines). Fish Sci 78, 947–964 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-012-0500-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-012-0500-x

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