French Fishers' Perceptions on Fisheries Management, in the North Sea Cod Case

• Main Authors: Alban, Frederique, Bailly, Denis
• Format: Report
• Language: English; unknown
• Published: International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade
• Subjects: Fisheries > Economic aspects > Congresses; Sustainable fisheries > Congresses; fishers perceptions; North Sea; decision-making process; Fisheries management; Fisheries Management for Coastal Fisheries; cod; Fisheries Economics; knowledge; common fisheries policy; recovery plan; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/conference_proceedings_or_journals/3x816n660

The Working Group on Fisheries Systems of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has identified the production and the use of knowledge in policy and management decision-making as one of the critical processes to be analyzed in the evaluation of the performance of fisheries systems. Many fishers believe that their views and knowledge are not sufficiently taken into account by managers and scientists. This lack of involvement undermines the support of the conservation measures adopted (legitimacy and compliance), and so their efficiency. Based on semi-structured interviews with French fishers targeting cod (Gadus morhua) in the North Sea, this paper analyses their perceptions on the European Union recovery plan, its legitimacy and efficiency. It also investigates their opinions concerning the role of scientific expertise and politics in forming decisions. This paper is part of the research developed by the PKFM ("Policy and Knowledge in fisheries management" - Q5RS-2002-01782) project, which has been funded under the European Commission 5th Framework Programme.