Using Network Analysis to Examine the Political Ecology of Small-Scale Fisheries Management

美国和世界各地的人们高度依赖渔业作为他们的食物系统基础设施。许多渔业被认为是小规模的捕捞作业，在支持生计、促进粮食安全和消除贫困方面发挥着重要作用。尽管它们很重要，但关于渔业的可持续性以及哪些管理战略在哪些情况下最有效的辩论仍在继续。此外，由于市场和经济的全球化、手机和互联网等技术的日益使用以及大规模移民，世界各地的社区日益相互联系。有鉴于此，几乎不可能找到一个在地方范围内管理自然资源而不受外部因素影响的例子。通常，资源和资源使用者受到多个级别的法规和管理制度(如联邦和地区，如本例)的制约。因此，至关重要的是要审查不同规模的管理机构如何相互影响和影响管理的关键要素，例如资源使用者是否相互合作，以及他们是否参与管理进程。调查结果将分发给影响与渔业管理有关的政策辩论的组织和个人。该项目还为研究生提供了严格、科学的数据收集和分析方法方面的培训，并扩大了传统上在科学界代表性较低的群体的参与。这项研究将在美属维尔京群岛的圣克罗伊进行，这是加勒比海的一个小岛，其居民出于营养、经济、社会和文化原因高度依赖渔业。东卡罗来纳大学的Grace-McCaskey博士将在以前在岛上进行的研究的基础上，进一步了解渔民、管理者、科学家和其他海洋资源利益攸关方之间的社会差异和不平等如何影响渔业管理进程。她将使用社交网络方法来研究个人之间复杂的关系网络，这些关系可能会阻碍或促进信息和资源的交换。这项研究将以渔业管理研讨会结束，届时将展示结果(包括社交网络可视化)，以鼓励关于社会群体互动的公开讨论，并着眼于促进和改善参与管理的利益相关者群体之间的沟通。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.