Abstract Type: Independent oral presentation
Abstract TitleEvolving Property Rights in Common Pool Fisheries Resources: The Dominican Fish Aggregation Device (FAD) Fishery
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Abstract
Small-scale fisheries are important to livelihoods in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Historically the fisheries focused on nearshore, minimal input reef fisheries. Over the last 30 years the focus of the fishery has shifted to offshore, pelagic species. This shift required a higher investment in vessels, gear, and fish aggregation devices (FADs). At the beginning of the change in focus communities self-governed by developing and enforcing a set of norms and property rights “as a set of practices that serve to produce the ‘effect of property’” (Blomely, 2007). As the fishery grew the Government of Dominica recognized increasing conflict from competition at FADs and a lack of understanding or adherence to informal norms and property rights. Proposed government policies attempted to change the FAD fishery from one with informally defined access restrictions and norms to an open-access fishery where all FADs are public, and all fish aggregated around FADs are available to any fisher who opts to purchase a FAD license. The changes in the FAD fishery has led to intended and unintended consequences. These consequences have impacted fishers in negative, positive, and neutral ways depending on fishers’ longevity in the fishery, historical ownership of FADs and challenges with enforcement of any type of rules or norms. To better understand the initial development in FAD norms and how the move to open access impacted norms and community cohesion I undertook a 9-month participant observation study of four landing sites in Dominica. I attended community meetings and conducted 53 semi-structured interviews with fishers, fish vendors and fisheries division staff members. This presentation will explore the changing governance structures and consequences of these changes for fishers, fishing communities and their associated industries.
Related Conference Topic Area
coastal and marine management
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Presenter Information
First Name Joy |
Last Name Hazell |
Affiliation University of Florida |
Author(s) Information
Author | First Name | Last Name | Affiliation |
1 | Joy | Hazell | University of Florida |
2 | Kai | Lorenzen | University of Florida |
3 | Jennifer | Brewer | University of New Hampshire |