www.e3network.org Socioeconomic Indicators for Fisheries: A Case Study of the Yukon River Salmon Fishery

• Main Author: Sarah A. Kruse
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Yukon; Yukon river
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.297.5419; http://www.e3network.org/papers/YukonCaseStudy_5-12.pdf

Sustainable fisheries, by definition, should include environmental, economic and social considerations, yet the use of economic and social indicators to date has been limited, both from a management and consumer perspective. While a number of studies to date have focused on the development of these types of indicators, fewer have tested their application. This study seeks to describe broadly relevant social and economic indicators, specifically focused on human communities associated with fisheries resources. It also seeks to assess whether the indicators proposed can readily be populated using existing, publically available, data sources. To that end, we conduct a case study analysis of the Yukon River commercial salmon fishery. Our findings suggest that the majority of the indicators proposed can be populated with existing data, often already collected on an annual basis. Recognizing the case study nature of this paper, we also assess the availability of relevant data for commercial salmonoid fisheries in other regions. Moving from individual indicators to the idea of how these indicators could be used to create a method for assessing the sustainability of a fishery more broadly (so as to include economic and social considerations), we suggest a two part assessment, including both required and voluntary standards associated with various socioeconomic indicators. From a management perspective, integration and tracking of such indicators along with environmental/biological ones will likely improve ecosystem-based management in which humans are also a key factor.