Livelihood diversity and dynamism in Timor-Leste; insights for coastal resource governance and livelihood development

Coastal communities within small island developing states are typically highly dependent on fisheries and other natural resource-based livelihoods. However, specialisation as a ‘fisher’ is rare compared to diverse livelihoods that can be adapted as opportunities and challenges emerge. Understanding this dynamic “livelihood landscape” is important for improving governance and livelihood opportunities associated with natural resources. Using data from 495 households across 15 communities on Atauro Island, Timor-Leste, this study evaluates the importance of fisheries within a suite of livelihoods; the correlation of livelihoods structure with wellbeing; and the spatial and temporal variation of those livelihoods. Activities linked to primary production were nominated by 67% of households as their primary livelihood, 41% fished, and of those 54% considered fishing their primary livelihood. Almost all households (95%) owned livestock, and even respondents who considered themselves ‘fishers’ ranked livestock disease, rather than fisheries related concerns, as their most critical livelihood challenge. Engagement in fishing varied by location and time of year. Communities in more protected locales fished throughout the year, and had less diverse livelihoods. This study highlights that interventions focused on self-identified ‘fishers’ would only engage a fraction of the population that derive benefit from fisheries resources, would likely overlook the most prevalent challenges fishers face, and would focus on those with relatively high food security and income. Measures of wellbeing were better explained by geography and socio-cultural settings, rather than dominant income sources. The results emphasise the value of cross-sector development interventions informed by contextualised analysis of livelihoods and wellbeing outcomes.     

An analysis of livelihood projects and programs for fishing communities in the Philippines

Over the last 30 years, a range of different livelihoods have been provided and implemented in fishing and coastal communities in the Philippine with mixed success and sustainability by the fisher and household. This paper reports on an analysis of livelihood projects for fishing communities and households implemented in the Philippines and the identification of lessons learned and factors which can lead to an improved success and sustainability rate for livelihood projects and programs. The analysis identified primary factors that are critical to improving the success and sustainability rate of livelihood interventions.     

Prawn postlarvae fishing in coastal Bangladesh: Challenges for sustainable livelihoods

Fishing for prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) postlarvae is a major contributor to the livelihoods of the coastal poor in Bangladesh, including women. A study of coastal livelihoods along the lower Pasur River in southwest Bangladesh indicates that on average 40% of total annual income comes from postlarvae fishing during the few months involved. However, indiscriminate fishing of wild postlarvae, with high levels of by-catch, has an impact on biodiversity in coastal ecosystems. This has provoked imposition of restrictions on postlarvae collection. The ban has, however, not been firmly enforced because of the lack of alternative livelihoods for coastal poor. A conceptual framework, drawn from an approach to poverty reduction known as the sustainable livelihoods approach, is applied to understanding the role of prawn postlarvae fishing. Evidence from this study suggests that postlarvae fishers faced a number of livelihood constraints, including poor livelihood assets. This paper concludes that wider livelihood options need to be found for postlarvae fishers to support their livelihoods.     

Small-scale fishers’ adaptations to change: The role of formal and informal credit in Paraty,Brazil

Small-scale fishers in coastal areas of Brazil face numerous challenges, including marginalization by large-scale industrial operations, poor market access, lack of working capital, and pressure to diversify their livelihood base. From the perspective of adaptive capacity, this investigation was carried out in three communities in the municipality of Paraty (Rio de Janeiro State), and sought to determine the main challenges facing local fishers, and fishers’ current adaptive and transformative actions against these challenges. Findings revealed that the majority of fishers (55%) own mid-size diesel boats (6–9 m) and face constant pressure to scale-up and diversify operations to take advantage of the growing tourism sector. Such expansion requires financial capital. However, due to fear of losing assets, inability to arrange a co-signer, and lack of adequate collateral, many fishers are reluctant to obtain credit from government-sponsored programs and seek credit elsewhere. Fishers with larger boats are increasingly opting for tourism-related activities through informal credit arrangements. However, of the smaller-scale fisher respondents some 27% have opted to downsize their fishing operations through intrasectoral adjustments. These actions reflect a general trend of aversion to financial liability and vulnerability by way of flexibility, dynamism, and diversification. It is recommended that access to credit should be made easier for small-scale fishers to provide more options to diversify their livelihood base but without exerting additional fishing pressure on already overfished stocks.     

The money side of livelihoods: Economics of an unregulated small-scale Indonesian sea cucumber fishery in the Timor Sea

Fishers from several ethnic groups on islands in eastern Indonesia seasonally fish for sea cucumbers at Scott Reef in Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Timor Sea. Despite evidence suggesting that sea cucumbers are severely over-exploited fishers continue to voyage to the reef. How the traditional fishery operates under this condition and more broadly what economic drivers cause fishers to make the long and arduous voyage is vital to understanding this small-scale fishery and developing appropriate strategies for management. This study is the first to investigate these dynamic livelihood aspects using semi-structured interviews and fishers’ voluntarily recorded data on their catches, costs of fishing and the sales of those catches and income received over a six year period. The study demonstrated that costs, borrowings, and revenues differed between crews, leading to widely varying profits. Nevertheless, every crew that recorded the sale of their catches made a profit. Rapidly appreciating prices for their sea cucumber harvest, predominantly comprising low value species, was critical to maintaining the fishery's profitability. The income earned by some crews and boat owners were far greater than those potentially available to them through other livelihood strategies such as agriculture, coastal fisheries or trade opportunities. This study also suggests the depletion of high value sea cucumber species is ongoing. This Indonesian sea cucumber fishery at Scott Reef illustrates the linkages between stock sustainability, fishers’ livelihood outcomes, and the burgeoning Asian demand for sea cucumbers and the findings can inform the current management discourse on this small-scale transboundary fishery.     

The migrant anchovy fishery in Kabui Bay,Raja Ampat,Indonesia: Catch,profitability, and income distribution

We estimate the unregulated catch and fisher income of the Kabui Bay migrant anchovy fishery operating in the Raja Ampat regency, Papua, Indonesia. Interviews with migrant fishers were conducted in April and November 2006, and estimates were generated through Monte Carlo simulations. Anchovy fisher income averaged US $1835 per year, about twice the average fisher income in the area. The income levels estimated by this study suggests that there is potential for the Raja Ampat Fisheries Bureau to capture some economic rent from the fishery to help fund a fisheries management program, from which Raja Ampat could benefit.     

A Bayesian model of factors influencing indigenous participation in the Torres Strait tropical rocklobster fishery

The tropical rocklobster fishery in the Torres Strait, based on the species Panulirus ornatus, is currently managed by input controls. The Australian Commonwealth government’s aim is to transition to a quota management system (QMS) for this fishery. The fishery is complex in terms of international boundaries, multiple jurisdictions and management objectives regulating a mix of commercial and traditional indigenous fishers and a commercial non-indigenous sector. One key objective is to promote indigenous fisher participation to meet their aspirations of achieving a greater control of the region’s fisheries resources. A Bayesian Network analysis has been applied that considers the variability in participation of indigenous fishers under key economic and socio-cultural drivers, such as the availability of a government employment program, lobster prices, social capital and capacity, and infrastructure availability. The model identifies three distinct indigenous fisher groups: full-time, active part-time, and casual lobster fishers. Scenario analyses suggest that changes in the government employment program will have a substantial impact on the relative proportion of fishers in these groups. Similarly, changes in the provision of logistics, infrastructure, and building social capital and capacity are expected to have a significant impact on the occurrence of full-time fishing. As the Commonwealth has an obligation under the Torres Strait Treaty to protect the traditional way of life and livelihood of Islanders as well as promoting employment opportunities for Traditional Inhabitants, it is important that management authorities consider both the effect of management changes for the fishery as a whole and for each indigenous fisher group separately.     

Improving livelihoods in fishing communities of West Sumatra: More than just boats and machines

Despite a raft of livelihood programs designed to help Indonesian small-scale fishers there are concerns that the needs of the poor are still not being addressed. This study examines this concern through a two-pronged approach. Firstly, through a broad-scale series of interviews with fishers, community leaders and government employees in 25 fishing villages in the province of West Sumatra to identify which sectors of the fishing industry the poor operate in and the types of livelihood initiatives targeted at helping them. Secondly, by using three case studies of livelihood development projects and identifying the social, economic and institutional lessons learned that point both to best and worst practice. Three groups of poor fishers were identified; a large group of non-boat owning “labourers”, a group of “small-scale boat owners” and a small group of “processors and sellers”. Empowerment programs by the Department for Fisheries between 2005 and 2009 emphasised improving physical capital through providing fishing gear, motorisation and processing equipment. These initiatives could potentially help small-boat owners but would not benefit non-boat owning labourers. The new livelihood improvement programme GPEMP had non-fishing alternative livelihoods that could help labourers, but still demonstrated an ongoing bias towards physical capital interventions. The three case studies demonstrated that aspects of leadership, trust, advocacy, administration, accountability and ongoing institutional support are key elements of empowering coastal communities towards livelihood improvement. Human and social capital components need prioritisation in future poverty alleviation policy and programs in Indonesia, particularly for the large marginalised group of labourers.     

Vulnerability of different types of fishers to potential implementation of a management plan in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Maldives

Understanding vulnerability of different types of fishers to the implications of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) is crucial to its long-term sustainability. It helps direct management decisions of the MPA in a way that negative impacts on specific fishers can be mitigated. This study explored the vulnerability within specific groups of fishers, namely, commercial, subsistence and recreational fishers in the context of the largest MPA in the Maldives – the South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area (SAMPA). SAMPA is subject to a future management plan that is likely to bring changes in how resources can be accessed in the area. In order to explore the vulnerability of the fisher groups, their sensitivity to this change was measured through an exploratory factor analysis and a sensitivity index. It was found that commercial fishers were likely to be the most vulnerable group as the management plan could potentially threaten their livelihood. Subsistence fishers were found to be next, as changes in access to SAMPA will potentially influence how they obtain their dietary protein. Recreational fishers were also found to vulnerable due to the nature of their fishing operation. However, relative to other groups, their vulnerability was likely to be much lower. To ensure strategic measures are designed to alleviate these potential vulnerabilities, this study proposed collaborative stakeholder participation throughout the development process of SAMPA's management plan, and also as a platform to build much needed confidence in MPAs among fishers in the Maldives.     

The end of shark finning? Impacts of declining catches and fin demand on coastal community livelihoods

For several decades, fishing sharks for their fins has provided important livelihoods for eastern Indonesian coastal communities that fish the Halmahera, Arafura and Timor Seas. Fishery and interview data collected in 2012-13 from three case studies on the islands of Seram, Aru and Rote were used to examine changes in shark fishers’ livelihoods over the preceding 20 years. While recent declines in catches and shark fin prices have had a substantial impact on fishers’ livelihoods, the fishery's low visibility in some areas of its geographic range and its political complexity in general have meant that government and international development agencies have largely been unaware of this impact. Many respondents remembered the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997-98 and the turn of the millennium as a time when sharks were still abundant and shark fin prices high, but were concerned about the on-going fall of shark fin prices since March 2012. High-value species, particularly guitarfish, hammerhead and sandbar sharks were most affected, losing up to 40% of their pre-2012 value. These changes, combined with the loss of fishing grounds, few attractive options for alternative income and restrictive debt relationships with shark fin bosses, have led some fishers to resort to high-risk activities such as blast fishing, illegal transboundary fishing, and people smuggling. This paper examines the multi-layered causes and consequences of fishers’ decision-making in response to adverse changes in their fishery, and explores options and obstacles to pursuing livelihoods that carry lower environmental, financial and personal risks.     

Building adaptive capacity to climate variability: The case of artisanal fisheries in the estuary of the Patos Lagoon,Brazil

The vulnerabilities of fishing communities to climate and environmental change represent major issues for the governance of fisheries resources which have a direct effect on human security, livelihoods and rights. This paper explores the dynamics of social-ecological systems in the estuary of the Patos Lagoon in southern Brazil. The paper identifies key factors that increase and/or minimize the vulnerabilities of the fishing communities in this lagoon with the objective of understanding: (a) the degree to which fishing communities are able to build adaptive and learning capacities to minimize/reduce vulnerabilities and maintain their livelihoods; and (b) how and under what circumstances external and internal factors may influence and disrupt the social-ecological resilience in this lagoon system. Results show that fishing communities with a higher degree of self-organization are able to create ways to minimize their vulnerability to adverse climatic conditions. However, only a few communities have developed adaptive mechanisms to cope with the influence of climate on resource abundance and availability. Little external institutional support for small-scale fishing communities, erosion of their traditional resource use systems and decreasing fish stocks in recent decades have all led to a gradual increase in the vulnerability of fishing livelihoods in this lagoon. The uncertainties associated with climate are related to increasing vulnerability and influence the degree of resource conservation and exploitation. The lack of public policies to deal with the impact of climate variability on the livelihoods of fishing communities and the presence of weak institutions in resource governance represent major threats to the social security of fishers in this region.     

Coping with disaster: Rehabilitating coastal livelihoods and communities

This paper examines lessons from past approaches to natural disasters, as well as early lessons from the post-2004 Asian tsunami rehabilitation, to draw out general principles for rehabilitating livelihoods in poor coastal communities. We contend that avoiding the mistakes of the past requires: (1) a framework for understanding the diversity of coastal people's livelihood strategies and the sources of their vulnerability, (2) a process for designing interventions that build on this understanding in order to strengthen and revitalize coastal communities, including a means of assessing and selecting the most promising livelihood options, and (3) a focus on the longer-term challenge of building future resilience and sustainability in the communities by addressing the root causes of vulnerability.     

Fishery livelihoods and (non-)compliance with fishery regulations—A case study in Ca Mau Province,Mekong Delta,Viet Nam

Fishery in Ca Mau, Viet Nam’s most southern province in the Mekong Delta, plays locally an important role for human nutrition and has great potentials for export earnings. The overexploitation of inshore fishing resources is a major problem in Viet Nam’s coastal areas along the Mekong Delta. As a result, the Catch per Unit of Effort of small-scale fishing enterprises has decreased, undermining the sustainability of livelihoods of fishing families. The paper focuses on livelihoods’ strategies and diversification in the context of overexploitation and exhaustion of near-shore resources in relation to fishery policies. The results show that overexploitation is unavoidable in near-shore waters because of the lack of enforcement of fishery regulations for offshore vessels and the limitation of alternative sources of income and opportunities for livelihood diversification for small-scale fishers. The present policies to prevent overexploitation need to be reconciled with livelihood sustainability and fishery management, resource conservation and socio-economic goals     

The status of artisanal fishing in El Salvador

El Salvador is one of the most environmentally degraded nations in Latin America, but the declining fishing industry is under-studied compared with deforestation and landuse. This paper examines the reactions to fish stock decline of two generations of fishers in La Union, El Salvador on the Golfo de Fonseca, one of the most important fishing areas in Latin America, using face to face interviews and questionaires. Both older (>35 years) and younger (<36 years) fishers supplemented their income with trading, farming and loans from their relatives in the United States. All older fishers reported larger fish catches five and ten years previously than at present. Previously, fishers caught more fish, but significantly more younger fishers than older fishers reported their fathers caught more fish than they did, indicating an increasing gap in fish catches in recent decades. More younger fishers than older fishers had fathers or male kin who were also fishers, indicating young men were less likely to join fishing without a parent or kin already involved. Minorities of both older and younger fishers engaged in supplementary activities. Environmental degradation disuaded fishers from switching to farming or hunting. The findings are similar to findings elsewhere on the decline of fish resources and generational gaps in environmental knowledge, but differ in that some other studies report fewer opportunities for fishers to access alternative or complementary activities. These findings are relevant to Latin American studies, considering the great value of the Golfo de Fonseca to the livelihoods of Central America.     

Fisheries learning exchanges and sea turtle conservation: An effort between Mexico,Cuba and the U.S. to engage Cuban coastal communities in non-consumptive alternative behaviors

The purpose of this short communication is to describe the Third International Workshop on Sea Turtle Conservation and Fisheries Exchange that took place from April 22–30, 2009 on Cuba’s Isla de la Juventud [Isle of Youth]. A group of 28 fishers, conservationists, marine scientists and fisheries managers from Cuba, Mexico and the U.S. gathered at Siguanea Bay off the island’s southwest coast. The goals of the exchange were to 1) provide a forum for sea turtle experts and fishing communities in Cuba, Mexico, and the U.S. to share experiences on conservation activities, 2) develop the scientific basis for future conservation in this highly biologically important region of Cuba, and 3) increase support by Cuban fishers for local sea turtle conservation efforts. During the exchange, participants met with local Cuban fishers about the challenges of conserving sea turtle populations while maintaining their fishing livelihoods, shared solutions developed by fishers to accomplish the same in Mexico, and undertook field and cultural activities. Key outcomes for the exchange include an improved understanding of sea turtle bycatch off the Isla de la Juventud, enhanced collaboration among the three nations in turtle conservation, and increased motivation by fishers to participate in sea turtle research and conservation. Additionally, as a direct result of this exchange, the community of Cocodrilo on the Isla de la Juventud has hosted annual sea turtle festivals that increase support for turtle conservation efforts by the local community.     

Spatial substitution strategies of recreational fishers in response to zoning changes in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Understanding fishers’ responses to marine spatial closures is important for both resource users and managers. Fishing is a major recreational activity in Australia, and recreational fishers are key local resource users within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. In 2004, implementation of a new zoning plan in the park resulted in a reduction in the amount of area available to recreational fishing. A combination of phone, mail, and face-to-face surveys was used to investigate recreational fishers’ choices and spatial redistribution strategies in response to the reduction in fishing area. Approximately 56% of fishers reported losing at least one of their regular fishing locations under the new zoning plan. Fishers generally compensated by shifting their fishing effort to other areas they knew to be good fishing locations, and by finding new areas that they had not exploited previously. Potential implications of these spatial changes in recreational fishing effort for both the marine park and recreational fishers include changes in fishing frequency and satisfaction, reduced fishing quality, restricted access to areas considered to be of high quality for recreational fishing, increased crowding in areas that remain open to fishing, and increased likelihood of localized depletions in popular recreational fishing locations. Identification of the drivers of the spatial distribution of fishing effort, factors affecting fishers’ choices of locations, and adaptation strategies adopted by fishers provide a valuable tool to help understand the impact of spatial fishing closures on fishers and resources.     

Distribution of economic returns in small-scale fisheries for international markets: A value-chain analysis

Small-scale fishers are often believed to receive marginal earnings for seafood relative to other value- chain actors but proportionate incomes across different traded species are rarely compared. This study compares value chains for 15 species of sea cucumbers between Fiji and Kiribati using data collected on sale prices of dried products (bêche-de-mer) from fishers to middlemen and exporters, export prices and market retail prices in China. Pacific islanders comprised almost all fishers, but represented only some middlemen and few exporters. Proportional increases in prices along the value chains differed greatly among sea cucumber species and between countries. Fishers’ earnings varied greatly among species. The relative share of the end market value they received was negatively related to product end-market value; on average 50% of the end retail value for the lowest-value species but <10% for the highest-value species. Most fishers lacked information about market prices. The gross markup of exporters differed greatly between the two countries. Downstream actors reaped increasingly higher proportions of the product value for higher value species. Variation in sale prices between countries and fishers for the same product indicates a potential for higher earnings to fishers. Improved transparency of prices to fishers could empower them to negotiate higher prices, especially for more valuable species. Upgrading of value-chain governance, e.g. through fisher cooperatives or auction systems, could improve efficiency and fisher incomes, potentially reducing the need for high fishing rates. Such interventions will benefit from understanding the value-chain patterns among different species harvested in multispecies fisheries.     

Extracting ideology from policy: Analysing the social construction of conservation priorities in the Coral Triangle region

This study presents an analysis of marine resource management activities designed to ameliorate concerns over fish stocks, food and livelihood insecurity in the coastal Asia Pacific region, with a specific focus on the area encompassed by the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF). Firstly, the study explores how the CTI-CFF framing of food insecurity as symptomatic of economic deficiencies at the household level reflects the broader neoliberal conservation agenda driving the CTI-CFF and serves to legitimate the latter as the natural authority for intervention. Secondly, the paper uses an example of local level fishery management to demonstrate how the logic of neoliberalism translates to regulations which fail to recognise social and political complexities confronting fishers, thereby exacerbating the precarity of food and livelihood security in these communities. Thirdly, the paper contrasts the Western scientific emphasis on maintaining food security through managing coral reef fisheries with evidence from Indonesia and the Philippines which demonstrates the much larger contribution from pelagic fisheries and aquaculture to food security. The paper concludes with a call for research and aid-funded interventions on fishery management, livelihoods and food security to better reflect the needs of coastal people in the Asia-Pacific region, rather than the values commonly espoused by Western scientists and conservationists.     

Socio-economic features of sea cucumber fisheries in southern coast of Kenya

A socio-economic assessment was conducted at Vanga, Shimoni, Majoreni and Gazi villages in the Kenyan south coast with focus on the sea cucumber fishing patterns, the social and economic characteristics of the fisher communities, the contribution of sea cucumbers to the local livelihoods, and analysis of the management systems. The results indicate that sea cucumber fishers are mainly men. Fishing is done in sub-tidal areas (3–10 m deep) and inter-tidal areas depending on the species being targeted. Those who fish in the sub-tidal areas do skin diving without using SCUBA diving gear. Sea cucumber fishing is heavily done during the northeast monsoon season when the sea is calm and water is clear. About 32% of the sea cucumber fishers also collect other marine products such as octopus. The sea cucumbers are sold fresh from the sea to local first level middlemen who process and sell them to the second level middlemen and exporters in Mombasa. The fishers occasionally borrow money from first level middlemen especially when they fail to catch sea cucumbers but this in turn creates conditions of dependence and possible exploitation. Almost all sea cucumber fishers have stated that they are not willing to make sea cucumbers part of their daily diet. The economic value of the product was substantial; the average monthly revenue for dry sea cucumbers in the area was estimated to US$ 8000. The relative highest profits are derived from juvenile species, thus there is an economic incentive hindering local stocks to reach sexual maturity, which in turn may create a situation in which recruitment success is highly dependent on faraway populations. The present management system falls into general fisheries regulations and was found weak. No specific management plan for sea cucumbers was found.