Managing small-scak fisheries in the Caribbean: the surface longline fishery in Gouyave, Grenada by Sandra Grant A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Natural Resources Institute University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba 2006 THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES COPYRIGHT PERMISSION Managing small-scale fisheries in the Caribbean: the surface longline fishery in Gouyave, Grenada by Sandra Grant A Thesis/Practicum submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © 2006 Permission has been granted to the Library of the University of Manitoba to lend or sell copies of this thesis/practicum, to the National Library of Canada to microfilm this thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and to University Microfilm Inc. to publish an abstract of this thesis/practicum. This reproduction or copy of this thesis has been made available by authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research, and may only be reproduced and copied as permitted by copyright laws or with express written authorization from the copyright owner. This dissertation is dedicated to the fishers and community members in Gouyave. My task here is to translate the concerns of the community into the technical language of practitioners, so they can make the much needed changes to fisheries management. Changes that will support fishing communities not make them more vulnerable. Abstract This dissertation explores alternatives to managing small-scale fisheries in the Caribbean. Specifically, it demonstrates the importance of livelihoods, fisher knowledge, resilience, and institutions in fisheries management and planning; and develops a draft fishery management plan using the Management Objective Driven (MOD) fishery planning process. The case study is the longline fishery for large pelagic species in Gouyave, Grenada. Four analytical approaches are important to this study: (1) sustainable livelihoods framework, with an emphasis on individual, household, and community livelihood strategies; (2) fisher knowledge, with an emphasis on technological and ecological knowledge; (3) a resilience analysis, with an emphasis on adapting to disturbances and changes; and (4) a common property analysis, with an emphasis on sustainable institutions and cross-scale linkages. Qualitative, quantitative, and participatory tools were used for data collection and analysis. Qualitative methods included semi-structured interviews with fishers, community members, and the government. Quantitative methods included a livelihood survey with 169 households. Other techniques included two focus group meetings with staff at the Fisheries Division, and three small group meetings with fishers. Field work was conducted between November 2002 and March 2004. Regarding livelihoods, Gouyave fishers and community members are able to secure a living for their households by using diversification strategies, taking advantage of fishing and non-fishing seasonal cycles, and participating in social exchanges. The income they earn from fishing activities is spent locally to economically sustain the community, creating a viable fishing community. However, the community is vulnerable to disturbances (e.g., hurricanes and storm surges) which can change the livelihood systems (economic opportunities) overnight. Therefore, policies and management strategies should support livelihood systems in the community, as it not only benefits fishers but also the community. The study shows that fisher knowledge is a valuable source of qualitative data, and should be included in management and planning. Fishers have expert knowledge of longline technology and ecological knowledge of the marine environment. This knowledge can provide contextual information useful in interpreting historical fish landings, and it is consistent with published biological data. Combining fisher and scientific knowledge can increase the amount of information available for management. Also, in the absence of scientific data, fisher knowledge can be a reliable data source. Integrating fisher knowledge in management has its challenges, namely poor communication and lack of trust between fishers and the government. Resilience is a measure of flexibility of the fishery system to changing circumstances and hence a worthwhile objective in fisheries management and planning. In analyzing resilience through cycles of change and reorganization, the study highlights the importance of enhancing resilience by: supporting the reorganization potential of the fishery; improving communication, problem-solving, and participation in decision- making; encouraging grounded response to critical change; and taking a multi-scale response to dealing with change. A resilient system would help support diversity (livelihoods, knowledge), build management based on flexibility and learning, and build capacity to manage and anticipate change. The study shows that local institutions managing migratory marine commons are faced with two sets of challenges. The first is the sustainability and success of local institutions, and their participation in managing the commons. According to the study, the focus is on the participation of formal institutions in management; however, informal institutions with flexible rule structures essential to adaptive management should be encouraged to participate. Second, management of migratory fish stocks must involve cross-scale linkages between local (community and their institutions), national (the Fisheries Division), and regional/international levels. Such multiple-level management can benefit from institutional interplay. However, there are issues of compatibility and the task of connecting levels. The research findings in this dissertation concludes by stating that management strategies and the planning process which considers livelihoods issues, fisher knowledge, resilience building, and the participation of local institutions in cross-scale management is likely to lead to improvements in fisheries management. 11 Acknowledgements This study would not have been possible without the assistance of the following individuals and organizations. Thank you to my committee members Fikret Berkes (Natural Resources Institute, advisor), John Sinclair (Natural Resources Institute), and John Brierley (Environment and Geography) for their continuous support during the PhD process. Special thanks to Fikret who was always there to give advice and show me different ways to achieve my research goal. Thanks also to Robin Mahon (University of the West Indies, CERMES) for his initial encouragement and continuous support, and to the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), in particular Milton Haughton, for technical and logistical support. During the course of this research I was supported by the International Development Resource Centre of Canada (IDRC) and the Canada Research Chairs program to Fikret Berkes. The University of Manitoba Student's Union Sigpac fund and Graduate Studies also provided support to attend local and international conferences. Thanks to the people of Grenada, fishers and community members in Gouyave who made this work possible. I would especially like to thank Deslyn, Pyjamas, Chicken, Baby, Papa, Roger, Guate, Miss D, Monkey toe, One love, Page, Joshua, Carlyle, Parbourn, Daniel, Cebert, Charlie, Jonah, Guano, and the 'Barbados' group. To Christo, Tizan, Bernadette, McDan, and Janet who died before I had a chance to tell them thank you. I would also like to thank the staff of the Grenada Fisheries Division and the market staff at the Gouyave fish market, with special thanks to James Finlay and Roland Baldeo for ensuring that my stay in Grenada was an unforgettable experience. Thanks also to Moran Mitchell for helping me to understand the culture of the community. To Michael Mason (Land Use Division) and Michael Purcell (Physical Planning Unit) thanks for their assistance with the GIS mapping of Gouyave. Also, thanks to the librarians at the Gouyave community library, UWI Continued studies, Documentation Centre, and the St. George's University. Let me say thanks to Patrick McConney (UWT, Barbados) who assisted in reviewing my thesis chapter and provided feedback. Thanks to Tikaram Adhikari and 111 Richard Lobdell who assisted with the economic analysis, and to Douglas Fast (Environment and Geography) for his assistance with GIS maps and outputs. Special thanks to Jackie Rittberg for organizing my expense receipts while I was in Grenada, and solving those last minute administrative problems. I am also grateful to my classmates and friends Toni, Melissa, Brenda, and Myrle. A big "thank you" to Judith Swift for providing the much needed emotional support and to Ajaleigh Williams for always reminding me that my research is about helping people. To all my friends, who would like to remain nameless, thanks for the open debates which helped to stimulate my thinking about fishing communities and the theoretical application of this research. Special thanks to my new found family in Winnipeg and the Caribbean who were always there for me no matter what, thank you. Last, but not least, I thank my family: my mother, Etheline Richards, for giving me life, for educating me, and for unconditional support and encouragement to pursue my interests. My cousin, Odean Reynolds