Assessing information-sharing networks within small-scale fisheries and the implications for conservation interventions

Abstract

The effectiveness of behavioural interventions in conservation often depends on local resource users' underlying social interactions. However, it remains unclear to what extent differences in related topics of information shared between resource users can alter network structure—holding implications for information flows and the spread of behaviours. Here, we explore the differences in nine subtopics of fishing information related to the planned expansion of a community co-management scheme aiming to reduce sea turtle bycatch at a small-scale fishery in Peru. We show that the general network structure detailing information sharing about sea turtle bycatch is dissimilar from other fishing information sharing. Specifically, no significant degree assortativity (degree homophily) was identified, and the variance in node eccentricity was lower than expected under our null models. We also demonstrate that patterns of information sharing between fishers related to sea turtle bycatch are more similar to information sharing about fishing regulations, and vessel technology and maintenance, than to information sharing about weather, fishing activity, finances and crew management. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing information-sharing networks in contexts directly relevant to the desired intervention and demonstrate the identification of social contexts that might be more or less appropriate for information sharing related to planned conservation actions.

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“…As a result, nodes with greater eccentricity are more marginalised. Arlidge et al (2021) studied information sharing networks in fisheries and found that information sharing networks of different topics had significant differences in node eccentricity, while low variance node eccentricity indicated a network homogenisation effect. Gupta et al (2022) studied fake news issues surrounding COVID-19 and found that the coverage of fake news content was very narrow and thus had a high eccentricity in the information network.…”