| NSF Org: |
BCS Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | June 13, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 24, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 1756914 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Jeffrey Mantz
jmantz@nsf.gov (703)292-7783 BCS Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences SBE Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences |
| Start Date: | July 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | June 30, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $136,318.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $136,318.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1000 E 5TH ST GREENVILLE NC US 27858-2502 (252)328-9530 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
2200 S Charles Blvd, Ste 2906 Greenville NC US 27858-4353 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Cultural Anthropology |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.075 |
ABSTRACT
People in the United States and throughout the world are highly dependent on fisheries for their food system infrastructure. Many fisheries are considered small-scale fishing operations, which play an important role in supporting livelihoods, contributing to food security, and combating poverty. Despite their importance, debates continue regarding the sustainability of fisheries as well as which management strategies are most effective in which contexts. In addition, communities throughout the world are increasingly inter-connected due to the globalization of markets and economies, the increasing use of technologies such as cell phones and the internet, and large-scale migration. In light of this, it is virtually impossible to find an example of a natural resource being managed at the local scale, without being influenced by external factors. Often, resources and resource users are subject to regulations and management regimes at multiple levels (such as federal and territorial, as in this case). Therefore, it is critical to examine how management institutions across scales impact one another and influence key elements of management, such as whether resource users cooperate with one another, and whether they participate in management processes. Findings will be disseminated to organizations and individuals that influence policy debates related to fisheries management. The project also provides training for graduate students in methods of rigorous, scientific data collection and analysis, and broadens the participation of groups traditionally underrepresented in science.
The project will produce a multi-level analysis of fisheries management structures and networks using a mixed-method approach. This research will be conducted in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, a small island in the Caribbean whose residents are highly dependent on fisheries for nutritional, economic, social, and cultural reasons. Dr. Grace-McCaskey of East Carolina University will build on previous research conducted on the island to further understand how social differences and inequalities among fishers, managers, scientists, and other marine resource stakeholders impact fisheries management processes. She will use a social networks approach to examine the web of complex relationships among individuals that may hinder or facilitate the exchange of information and resources. The study will conclude with a fisheries management workshop at which time the results (including social network visualizations) will be presented to encourage open discussion about social group interactions and geared toward fostering and improving communication across stakeholder groups involved in management.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The main goal of this research was to examine what factors impact community cohesion, the flow of information, and potential for collective action in small-scale fisheries (SSF). We used a mixed methods approach, combining social network analysis (SNA) and ethnographic methods to produce a multi-level analysis of fisheries management structures and networks in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. We built on previous research conducted on the island to further understand how social differences and inequalities among fishers, managers, scientists, and other marine resource stakeholders impact fisheries management processes. Through this approach, we examined the web of complex relationships among individuals that may hinder or facilitate the exchange of information and resources.
Social networks data were collected from commercial fishers and other marine stakeholders in 2019 and 2020. Data collection and the research team's travel to St. Croix was cut short in 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic. By the time travel restrictions were lifted and we were able to return to the field sites, the original research approach no longer made sense due to the variety of drastic social changes that resulted from COVID. Although we had to alter our research approach, additional interviews were conducted with fisheries stakeholders, which allowed us to ground-truth the networks data collected in 2019-2020, as well as examine how social networks were impacted by the pandemic and other stressors.
The findings and results from this research make important contributions to the fields of anthropology and SNA. By combining SNA with ethnographic methods, we were able to address gaps in understanding how fishers are connected to one another and how information might pass from person to person and group to group. The results of our analysis of fishers’ networks data suggest that fishers in St. Croix are not organized into one cohesive group, and that demographic and fishing-related attributes influence group membership in non-uniform ways. These findings align with and build on recent work on small-scale fisheries, but further demonstrate that the processes that influence the formation and maintenance of ties among fishers are complex and potentially site-specific. Although this makes it challenging to come to meaningful conclusions related to the potential for collective action based on SNA alone, it highlights the important role that in-depth ethnographic and other qualitative data can play. The results from this research also have important implications for the disciplines of ecology and policy/management. For example, information regarding what may encourage consensus and cooperation among fishers can play an important role in promoting effective adaptation to climate change and other environmental stressors, and may contribute to improved ecological conditions. Additionally, the results can be used by resource managers and policymakers to better understand how fisheries resources are being used, and how social data can help us to design more effective and equitable management strategies that protect fisher livelihoods.
Last Modified: 09/10/2024
Modified by: Cynthia Grace-Mccaskey
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