Social Challenges In Managing Natural Resources In Coastal Fishing Communities

Download or read book Social Challenges in Managing Natural Resources in Coastal Fishing Communities written by Shayla B. Sharp and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two topics concerning fisheries management are considered in this thesis. The first concerns the social values that commercial fishing communities associate with commercial fishing. A survey of residents from eleven Oregon Coastal fishing communities was conducted to examine the social values associated with the commercial fishing occupation and fishing heritage. Community and social values as they are conceptualized in this study, refer to the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs held by fishers and non-fishers in commercial fishing communities. These values include sentiments about preserving existing ways of life, improving community services, attachment to place, maintaining the natural resource history of the area, and increasing economic opportunities. The second topic examines the extent to which social and community values held by fishing communities are identified and integrated into fishery management decisions. There is little knowledge about the process by which this information is obtained or identified, or whether or not that information is useful - information that could increase the ability of decision-makers, policy makers and managers to comply with the spirit of the amended Magnuson-Stevens Act. The ability in which fisheries managers and decision-makers incorporate, integrate and learn about social values associated with commercial fishing may depend greatly on their understanding of how these values are embedded within communities.