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Supporting Enhancement of Stewardship in Small-Scale Fisheries: Perceptions of Governance Among Caribbean Coral Reef Fishers

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Viability and Sustainability of Small-Scale Fisheries in Latin America and The Caribbean

Part of the book series: MARE Publication Series ((MARE,volume 19))

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Abstract

Small-scale fishing livelihoods dependent on Caribbean coral reefs face an uncertain future with global climate change and mounting anthropogenic pressures threatening ecosystem integrity and resilience. In the context of future threats to coral reefs, improved governance is critical to enhance the efficacy of coral reef management. Recent research places increasing emphasis on identifying governance arrangements that enable participation and engagement, with the improved ‘social fit’ of institutions expected to engender stewardship among fishers. However, few studies have examined the perspectives of resource users in relation to a wide range of articulated principles for good governance processes. This study contributes to an improved understanding of how fisher perceptions relate to diverse governance arrangements in the Wider Caribbean Region. We quantify perceptions among 498 reef-dependent fishers in relation to principles of ‘good governance’ in 12 communities across four Caribbean countries: Barbados, Belize, Honduras, and St. Kitts and Nevis. We describe perceptions relating to two underlying governance themes – institutional acceptance (reflecting principles of legitimacy, transparency, fairness, and connectivity) and engagement in reef governance (reflecting principles of accountability and inclusiveness). In addition, we identify socio-demographic factors associated with each set of perceptions and explore the implications for future governance of small-scale Caribbean reef fisheries. The findings suggest that an understanding of heterogeneous perceptions within small-scale fisheries can inform more targeted interventions to improve the fit of governance arrangements for different groups. Governance may be more effective if perceptions are used to identify areas in which to pursue greater engagement of resource users in stewardship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK

    Rachel A. Turner

  2. Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados

    Rachel A. Turner, David A. Gill, Robin Mahon & Angelie Peterson

  3. National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD, USA

    David A. Gill

  4. Moore Center for Science/Conservation International, Arlington, VA, USA

    David A. Gill

  5. Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, VA, USA

    David A. Gill

  6. School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Clare Fitzsimmons, Johanna Forster & Selina Stead

  7. Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

    Johanna Forster

Authors
  1. Rachel A. Turner
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  2. David A. Gill
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  3. Clare Fitzsimmons
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  4. Johanna Forster
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  5. Robin Mahon
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  6. Angelie Peterson
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  7. Selina Stead
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Correspondence to Rachel A. Turner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Resources Department, Cinvestav Mérida, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico

    Silvia Salas

  2. Development and Knowledge Sociology-Social Science Department, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany

    María José Barragán-Paladines

  3. Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

    Ratana Chuenpagdee

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Turner, R.A. et al. (2019). Supporting Enhancement of Stewardship in Small-Scale Fisheries: Perceptions of Governance Among Caribbean Coral Reef Fishers. In: Salas, S., Barragán-Paladines, M., Chuenpagdee, R. (eds) Viability and Sustainability of Small-Scale Fisheries in Latin America and The Caribbean. MARE Publication Series, vol 19. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76078-0_20

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