Analysis of personal values, environmental attitudes and fishing beahaviour of fishers in reducing the impact of fisheries on ecosystem: A case of Aegean fisheries
Project no. 1009 · Status: Kapanmış · 2016
Summary
Failures in fisheries management cause fish stocks to collapse in many regions. The lack of understanding of fishers’ motives and consequently, their behavior is one of the critical factors in the failure of sustainable fisheries. Thus, knowing the fishers’ personal values, attitudes and fishing behavior is essential for sustainable fisheries. The main aim of this study is to analyse the effects of the fishers’ psychographic characteristics (personal values, environmental attitude, attitude towards sustainable fishing, occupational satisfaction) and the environmental efficiency of small scale fisheries in the Aegean Sea. Fishers were segmented into groups based on their personal values, attitudes and job satisfaction. Data were collected from a random sample of 278 fishers in 62 fishing ports at along the Aegean coast of Turkey, via face-to-face interviews with a structured questionnaire. The study employed point scale analysis, factor analysis, cluster analysis, Tobit analysis, grid analysis, desirable-undesirable data envelopment analysis and non-parametric statistical tests. The results of the research show that the basic personal values of the fishers are being well respected, sense of belonging, sense of accomplishment and self fulfillment. When the environmental attitudes of fishers were examined, it was determined that 53.2% were preservers and 46.8% were utilizers. 20.1% of the fishers were satisfied with their job. The eight dimensions underlying the fishing behavior have been identified as alternative fishing income, illegal fisheries, discard, depth, vandalism, polluting the enviroment, geographical area and target species. The environmental efficiency level of small-scale fishing activities in the research area is low. The environmental efficiency level of small-scale fishing activities in the research area is low. In the study, fishers were divided into segments according to their personal values, attitudes and job satisfaction and a comparative analysis was conducted among different fisher groups. In addition, the relationships between fishers’ psychographic characteristics and environmental effectiveness were analyzed. In addition to the demographic characteristics and fishing characteristics of the fishers, environmental efficiency was affected by their personal values, environmental attitudes, attitudes towards sustainable fishing, job satisfaction and behavior. The key finding was that psychosocial variables shaped out environmental efficiency. The knowledge generated by the study can provide insight into policymakers, non-governmental organizations and researchers to improve acceptable, less costly and applicable policy interventions for supporting sustainable fisheries.