Abstract

Fisheries managers increasingly acknowledge the importance of holistic research that considers the interaction among physical, natural and human aspects in developing strategies for resource management and conservation. There is a growing scientific literature that applies social science principles to understand the attitudes and beliefs of resource users. This constitutes a critical step when developing practical educational and outreach programs and identifying management actions to deter or promote a desired behavior or action. In this context, there exists a need to provide training opportunities to managers and stakeholders regarding the methodological steps to implement social science theories, which can help underpin fisheries management programs. As such, we present an example of the application of a well-known social science theory (the theory of planned behavior -TPB) to understand what motivates/deters the installation of fish aggregating devices (FADs) by Caribbean artisanal fishers. FADs are being used in the Caribbean region as a tool to increase artisanal fisher’s success in targeting pelagic fish. This presentation will highlight the operational steps taken to apply social science theory in a fisheries management context, emphasizing techniques for designing survey protocols and applicable analysis methods to evaluate the influence that attitudes, social norms and behavioral control have on a fishers’ desire and tendency to deploy FADs.

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