Exploring concepts of fisheries ‘dependency’ and ‘community’ in Scotland

Exploring fisheries dependency and its relationship to poverty: A case study of West Sumatra, Indonesia

“…Some authors propose that 5% (Lindkvist, 2000) or 10% (Symes, 2000) of the working population should be employed in fisheries to constitute fisheries dependence. Other authors emphasize the socio-cultural component of fisheries as "a way of life" that characterize the community and that contribute much more than a source of revenue alone (Van Ginkel, 2001;Jacob et al, 2001;Ross, 2013). Having weighed up the different approaches Brookfield et al (2005) define a fisheries-dependent community as "a population in a specific territorial location which relies upon the fishing industry for its continued economic, social and cultural success".…”

Existential fisheries dependence: Remaining on the map through fishing

“…Fishing activity and economic data predominate the operationalisation of the term, but many cite how such means fall short (Kasimis and Petrou ; Phillipson ; Symes ; Colburn, Abbott‐Jamieson and Clay ; Abbott‐Jamieson and Clay ). Attention to social and cultural elements and their incorporation into the definition connect especially to the multiple meanings of community (Nuttall ; Olson ; Ross , ). With the dispersal of fishers from a place‐based community some scholars promote networked understandings of community (Nuttall ; St. Martin and Hall‐Arber ; Symes ; Olson ; Ross ).…”

Mismatches in spatial scale of supply and demand and their consequences for local welfare in Scottish aquaculture

“…At the same time, communities relying on single, export-oriented food commodities, whose management is external to the community and whose demand is influenced by global macroeconomic events, may be highly susceptible to negative social shocks (FAO 2004;UNCTAD 2012). Furthermore, there is the potential for mismanagement of natural resources as non-local producers aim for short-term output maximization in times of increased demand for the commodity, thus putting pressure on local ecosystems, which are relatively non-flexible in the short-to-medium period (Eakin et al 2009;Ross 2013). Analytical approaches toward treatment of social and ecological scale mismatches are emerging (Cash et al 2006;Cumming et al 2006;Henle et al 2010;Veldkamp et al 2011), and classification of scale mismatches has been useful in examining governance arrangements for management of the marine environment (O'Higgins et al 2014).…”

“…Within the Highland and Islands regions of Scotland, the Western Isles (WI) rely heavily on farmed salmon as a way in which to strengthen a rural local economy that has struggled in terms of economic and demographic performance (Alexander et al 2014). While the Scottish landscape and demographic make-up today reflect the history of shifting exploitation and rural de-population, great efforts are being made to ensure the viability of fragile coastal communities, which rely heavily on marine activities (Ross 2013).…”