Journal article

Publication year: 2016

Journal: Sustainability

Volume number: 8

Issue number: 6

eISSN: 2071-1050

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/su8060549

Publisher: MDPI

Abstract: 
We investigate the ecological impact caused by fishing grounds and the fishing gear/methods used by fishers in Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM), an estuarine lagoon located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. To do so, we build individual and composite ecological sustainable indicators based on the opinions of a group of experienced fishers and a group of scientists. Additionally, we use those indicators to examine the influence of socioeconomic and perceptional factors on fishers' fishing behaviors and how those behaviors may be affecting CGSM fishery resources. Our results suggest that fishers and scientists differ in their opinions about the impact of fishing on CGSM. Additionally, we found that having a higher level of education, sharing household expenses with other family members and spending more hours fishing lead to ecologically-sustainable fishing behavior, while the perception that the government is responsible for CGSM conservation leads to ecologically unsustainable fishing behavior.

Harvard Citation style: Torres-Guevara, L., Lopez, M. and Schlueter, A. (2016) Understanding Artisanal Fishers' Behaviors: The Case of Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia, Sustainability, 8(6), Article 549. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8060549

APA Citation style: Torres-Guevara, L., Lopez, M., & Schlueter, A. (2016). Understanding Artisanal Fishers' Behaviors: The Case of Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia. Sustainability. 8(6), Article 549. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8060549