Abstract

Marine resource management and related stake holder conflicts have been clearly defined in recent decades as pressing issues worldwide. What most managers neglect to include in management is social science to inform the development of more effective marine protected areas (MPAs). This is a significant problem in the Mediterranean where few socio-cultural and economic studies have been conducted. This paper begins to fill this knowledge gap by accounting for a comparative study of three marine reserves in Sicily, ltaly. Using data collected with standard anthropological field methods, analysis was conducted on how artisanal fishers are impacted by reserves, the extent of their knowledge regarding regulations, their opinions on management, and demographics. Theresults indicate that while fishers are aware of the marine reserves where they fish, most fishers were not well informed of the regulations. Fishers feel alienated from the management process and would feel more comfortable with reserve managers and regulations if they were involved in management. The paper concludes by showing how such data could help to develop more useful and practical management practices.

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