By Valerie Perini

Human life is inextricably linked to the ocean, largely because of the abundance of resources it provides. As the human population grows, managing these ocean resources for sustainable harvest has become a global priority. As managers develop strategies to conserve our shared ocean resources, they must consider the perspectives of the diverse stakeholders who depend on these resources. In order to form a better understanding of these stakeholder perspectives, MSC graduate student Robert Murphy, along with post-doctoral fellow Steven Scyphers and Associate Professor Jonathan Grabowski, have conducted a study assessing stakeholder perceptions of fisheries management of Atlantic striped bass.

In the study, recently published in the journal PLOS ONE, Murphy and colleagues surveyed recreational and commercial fishers, to gain an understanding of their perceptions regarding management of striped bass in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The researchers found that most fishers harbored neutral to positive opinions regarding current striped bass management policies, yet there were subtle differences in perceptions between recreational and commercial fishers, and between individuals with varying levels of fishing experience, resource dependency, and tournament participation.

Specifically, recreational fishers were generally supportive or neutral towards management actions such as size restrictions and mandated use of circle hooks, which reduce mortality of released fish. However these same fishers were less supportive of restrictions that would reduce the amount they could harvest. Additionally, the researchers found that commercial fishers, while slightly less supportive than their recreational counterparts, were still generally supportive of size limits and mandated circle hook use.

Despite neutral to positive opinions on some management strategies, both recreational and commercial fishers were less supportive of harvest reductions. The challenge of conserving ocean resources must incorporate perspectives of all who share the resources, and studies such as this one help to identify stakeholder interests in order to reach management solutions that can reduce conflicts and be embraced by all resource users.