Abstract

Social capital, defined loosely as the ties between individuals and across groups that facilitate cooperation and coordination, is an often understudied (and indeed, undervalued) aspect of fishing communities. While other forms of capital, namely physical and human capital, are invariably utilized to determine the worth and resilience of fishing communities, the social links and networks that bind these communities are either taken as tethered to other forms of capital or an inchoate form of benefits that remain constant despite perturbations. My research in the Florida Keys and Puerto Rico evaluates the importance of social capital in fishing communities in the respective regions. It determines the role that bonding and bridging forms of social capital play in establishing and maintaining information networks and reducing transactions costs. While there remains the need to implement and maintain a formal fishery management system, my research evaulates the importance to nurture and sustain social capital in fishing communities to achieve resilient fisheries.

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