This thesis provides information relevant to fisheries in which there is a desire to establish fisherfolk organizations, but where individualistic social networks rather than social cohesion and community prevail. Such situations in small-scale fisheries are poorly documented, but may define limits to the feasibility of co-management. In the case researched, the government of Barbados is designing a fisheries management planning process, but there is insufficient information on the social and economic characteristics of the unmanaged, small-scale, commercial fishery for migratory pelagics to determine whether either a state-structured (bioeconomic) or a cooperative (co-management) approach is appropriate. As a contribution to solving this practical, interdisciplinary problem, this study examined: the fishery-related uncertainties perceived by fisherfolk and government officials in Barbados; the social strategies of atomism, personal networks and formal organizations that fisherfolk may use to cope with uncertainty; and, whether the most appropriate initial management planning approach is bioeconomic or co-management. Research was conducted in Barbados between November 1993 and September 1994 involving surveys, social network analysis, participant observation and the study of official documents. Uncertainties related to fish catch and price were perceived by the majority of fisherfolk to be the most problematic, and the analysis focused on the means of coping with these. Evidence of social atomism was weak. Social networks, which tended to be individualistically-oriented among fishers, boat owners and processors, but more cooperative among vendors, were prevalent. Attempts by the harvest sector to formally organize to obtain market power had failed, but efforts to use this strategy persist. The state was found deficient in fishery planning and management capability. Barriers to communication within the state, and between it and the industry were apparent. Due mainly to the prevalence of networks and the state’s deficiencies, the bioeconomic approach is judged to be inappropriate in this setting. Due mainly to the high level of individualistic competition, the repeated failure of harvest sector organizations, and barriers to communication, co-management is problematic but more likely to be successffil. An incremental, institution-building approach to co-management is proposed due both to the flexibility of this approach and to the current political and planning environment that favours participative initiatives.

This thesis provides information relevant to fisheries in which there is a desire to establish fisherfolk organizations, but where individualistic social networks rather than social cohesion and community prevail. Such situations in small-scale fisheries are poorly documented, but may define limits to the feasibility of co-management. In the case researched, the government of Barbados is designing a fisheries management planning process, but there is insufficient information on the social and economic characteristics of the unmanaged, small-scale, commercial fishery for migratory pelagics to determine whether either a state-structured (bioeconomic) or a cooperative (co-management) approach is appropriate. As a contribution to solving this practical, interdisciplinary problem, this study examined: the fishery-related uncertainties perceived by fisherfolk and government officials in Barbados; the social strategies of atomism, personal networks and formal organizations that fisherfolk may use to cope with uncertainty; and, whether the most appropriate initial management planning approach is bioeconomic or co-management. Research was conducted in Barbados between November 1993 and September 1994 involving surveys, social network analysis, participant observation and the study of official documents. Uncertainties related to fish catch and price were perceived by the majority of fisherfolk to be the most problematic, and the analysis focused on the means of coping with these. Evidence of social atomism was weak. Social networks, which tended to be individualistically-oriented among fishers, boat owners and processors, but more cooperative among vendors, were prevalent. Attempts by the harvest sector to formally organize to obtain market power had failed, but efforts to use this strategy persist. The state was found deficient in fishery planning and management capability. Barriers to communication within the state, and between it and the industry were apparent. Due mainly to the prevalence of networks and the state’s deficiencies, the bioeconomic approach is judged to be inappropriate in this setting. Due mainly to the high level of individualistic competition, the repeated failure of harvest sector organizations, and barriers to communication, co-management is problematic but more likely to be successffil. An incremental, institution-building approach to co-management is proposed due both to the flexibility of this approach and to the current political and planning environment that favours participative initiatives. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

Factors affecting catch, trap fishing power and reef fish trappability were investigated by experimental fishing with Antillean fish traps on west coast fringing reefs in Barbados. Commercial (small mesh) traps caught significantly more fish (by number and weight), caught significantly smaller fish, and caught a higher proportion of immature fish, than large mesh traps. Fishing power was significantly higher for commercial traps than for large mesh traps. These catch differences between trap types have serious implications for the management of the reef fish resource by the imposition of larger mesh sizes in the commercial fishery. / The squeezability hypothesis and the visual image hypothesis were investigated as explanations for the lower fishing power of large mesh traps. The lower fishing power of large mesh traps results primarily from lower catch rates of fish in the 5.5-6.0 cm body depth size class. This result is strong support for the squeezability hypothesis as an explanation for the lower fishing power of large mesh traps. Differences in the visual images of traps created by structural differences and biotic differences did not produce definitive differences in ingress rates to traps, suggesting that the visual image hypothesis is an inadequate explanation for the lower fishing power of large mesh traps. / The trappability of reef fish differed substantially between species, but trappability differences were not correlated with species mobility, activity of the species in traps, gregariousness, or capacity of the species to squeeze through meshes. Predator-prey effects on trappability were negligible, but trappability was negatively correlated with percent reef cover of the substratum and with substratum rugosity. This suggests that traps are more attractive to fishes in areas where natural structural complexity is lower. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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