Fishermen's Perspectives on Climate Variability
Marine Policy, Forthcoming
23 Pages Posted: 24 Jun 2011 Last revised: 18 Mar 2014
Date Written: June 12, 2011
Abstract
Understanding fishermen's perspectives and responses relating to climate variability is important for sustainable fisheries management. To this end, a survey of captains of commercial passenger fishing vessels (CPFVs) was conducted in San Diego. The survey demonstrates that fishermen have observed and adapted to changes in the environment and fish populations associated with climate variability. However, only 12.9% of respondents agreed that global climate change is a possibility. In order to explain fishermen's divergent beliefs on climate change, a semiparametric discrete choice model is used to identify the potential determinants. The empirical results highlight the importance of the following factors: fishermen's experience, observations of the phenomena that are associated with climate variability, and an interaction of fishermen's experience and their observations.
Keywords: climate variability, fishing, survey, semiparametric binary model
JEL Classification: Q54, Q22, C14
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation