How do you get fishermen to change their ways (and embrace sustainable fishing practices)?
Monday, August 30th, 2010This post was written by D’Shan Maycock of Friends of the Environment. She is the Pride campaign manager for the Abaco Island campaign that seeks to protect the spiny lobster population by reducing the harvesting of juvenile lobsters.
My campaign focusses on reducing juvenile fishing of Spiny Lobsters in Abaco.
Initially I thought the task would be overwhelming and my message unreceptive to fishermen, as I am female and know nothing about fishing other than wanting to eat from a fresh catch. So when I started working with fishermen, I had to think of a creative way to engage them without having them ignore my message.
I decided the best way was to call public community meetings with fishermen using visual media to create attention. I had a local designer make a floating banner for my fishermen’s meetings that were displayed in various communities at least one week prior to the meeting date with a key message, ”Come and find out how you can be a responsible fisherman and improve your catch.”
At the beginning of the meetings I will ask for a few fishermen to volunteer to come to the front and say in a few words why they are proud to be a fisherman. I get responses such as “I enjoy fishing,” “I am my own boss,” “I can decide when I go out,” “Fishing is my life,” or “I can provide for my family.”
I probe some of the shyer fishermen by asking them for more information: “Why should I buy from you or your community?” or “What makes your catch stand out from the rest?” I get responses such as: “We are the best on the island,” or “We take pride in fishing the best from the sea and selling the best.” Even the top buyers agree with some fishermen and say “Yes, they get the best fish from them.”
I then congratulate them and give a brief overview of the campaign and why they should care about what I have to say. I let them know that it is up to them to offer the best as, they are the ones ultimatetly responsible for the income they desire; so they must ensure that they fish and handle their catch properly and only fish in season, if they want to be sure to get top dollar and ensure that there would be more fish for the future.
In my presentaion I include photos from previous community visits which include photos of fishermen and community persons from their communities. This gives them a sense of pride and keeps them interested in my talk. In these meetings, I also partnered with local buyers, processors, and exporters, as well as the Department of Marine Resources who then talk about their specific role.
The industry talks about standards and quality control and incentives for gving a great catch fished in season and up to the proper lobster tail length. The Department of Marine Resources talks about the importance of the law and the reasons for setting seasons and size limits. They also talk about improvements to the fishing industry, which includes meeting new standards for international market access, where the bulk of the money is made in the fishing industry.
By the end of the meeting fishermen understand where they fit into the big picture of making sure the best lobster tails are sold to the international market, which they caught and made possible for the Bahamas to be amongst the top five countries of lobster exports. The fishermen then commit to being better stewards of our marine resources.
Industry leaders have reported back to me saying that they have already seen major imporovements in quality and a reduction in juvenile lobsters being sold to them since these meetings began in January. This message has really caught the attention of the local fisherman who now understand why it is important to protect our marine environment and obey season and size limits for future populations.
At the end of these meetings, a stranger like me now becomes a friend to the fishermen. They thank me for creating the opportunity for fishermen, lobster industry leaders, and the government to be able to talk in an open forum about concerns they have with the fishing industry and what they can do to help. Campaign materials are then distributed to fishermen who are proud to recieve them.







































