Fishermen and seal conservation : survey of attitudes towards monk seals in Greece and grey seals in Cornwall

Caught in the Same Net? Small-Scale Fishermen's Perceptions of Fisheries Interactions with Sea Turtles and Other Protected Species

“…Our respondents almost unanimously reported severe declines in numbers of fish caught, and in fish populations in general over the last 5-10 years. Small-scale fishermen report similar declines in Western Greece, (Gonzalvo et al, 2014) and in the Aegean Sea (Glain et al, 2001). Further, this perception is supported by research indicating overexploitation and declines of fish stocks in Greece (Stergiou and Koulouris, 2000;Moutopoulos and Stergiou, 2012;Moutopoulos et al, 2015) and the Mediterranean as a whole (Sala, 2004;Coll et al, 2010;FAO, 2016).…”

“…Snowball sampling was applied when some of the respondents recommended us to other potential respondents. This method contributed to establishing successful rapport, generating trust, and increasing willingness to participate in the survey, as fishermen referred each other for participation (Glain et al, 2001). Convenience sampling was applied when we approached fishermen who were present at the time of our initial and subsequent port visits.…”

“…Fishermen's opinions and attitudes have been explored for species that include Dalmatian pelicans, Pelecanus crispus, and other wetland birds in Prespa, Kerkini, and Vistonis lakes in Greece (Pyrovetsi and Daoutopoulos, 1989), Mediterranean monk seals in Greece (Glain et al, 2001), gray seals, Halichoerus grypus, in Cornwall, UK (Glain et al, 2001), and in the Baltic sea (Varjopuro, 2011), whales, dolphins, and porpoises in the Mediterranean (Fratzis, 2007) and otters, Lutra lutra, in Czech Republic aquatic ecosystems (Vaclavicova et al, 2010). In these studies, fishermen are reported as having negative attitudes and opinions toward these species because they are perceived to be responsible for damages caused to fishing gear and/or as competitors to their fishery.…”

“…Damage caused by protected species such as sea turtles, cetaceans, and monk seals, may be one of the reasons behind hostile fisherman behavior and retaliatory attacks (Koutsodendris, 2007;Margaritoulis et al, 2007;Casale and Margaritoulis, 2010). Bycatch studies further imply that interactions with sea turtles and other species of marine mega fauna are linked to small-scale fishermen's notions of competition and antagonism toward more intensive fishing practices such as trawling which in the Mediterranean is primarily an industrial fishing fleet (Glain et al, 2001;Carreras et al, 2004;Chuenpagdee et al, 2006;Jacquet and Pauly, 2008;Chuenpagdee, 2012). Those studies indicate that interactions between sea turtles and other threatened species and small-scale fisheries present a multidimensional issue whose socio-economic aspects should not be ignored.…”

Individual transferable quota contribution to environmental stewardship: a theory in need of validation

“…Aside from studies that investigate the environmental consequences of bycatch in ITQ-managed fisheries and attitudes with respect to various other fisheries issues, such as work conditions, safety, and fisheries management (Hanna and Smith 1993, Glain et al 2001, Fuchs 2003, Strand 2004, Richardson et al 2005, Tzanatos et al 2006, there are few studies that empirically investigated actual changes in attitudes toward the environment in fisheries (Hanna and Smith 1993). In relation to specific environmental attitudes held by fishers, there is currently surprisingly little information, and as far as we were able to determine, there has been no study in which postmanagement changes in environmental attitudes were measured that could shed light on stewardship changes as a result of moving to a TAC and ITQs.…”