Nicholas School of the Environment

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10161/52

Master's projects by Nicholas School of the Environment students, including the Duke Marine Laboratory.

The masters project is done in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for the professional Master of Environmental Management or the Master of Forestry degree. While the MP may include original laboratory or field research, it may also take the form of management plans, handbooks, educational curricula, or other such products. Each student is advised by a faculty member who reviews and approves the project prior to completion.

A masters projects that is original research should not be as large as a masters thesis although it should be of publishable quality but not necessarily comprehensive enough to stand alone as a publication. A masters projects that does not follow the usual format for scientific research should follow a framework that is considered good practice in an appropriate field.

Duke migrated to an electronic-only system for masters projects between 2006 and 2010. As such, projects completed between 2006 and 2010 may not be part of this system, and those created before 2006 are not hosted here except for a small number that have been digitized.

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 24

Open Access
A Global Analysis of the Climate Risk of Women in Small-Scale Fisheries
(2023-04-28) Deeg, Claudia Suzanne
Open Access
A Global Database of Tenure and Access Rights for Small-Scale Fisheries: A Preliminary Assessment
(2022-04-21) Tholan, Brittany
Small-scale fisheries (SSF) provide essential protein and nutrition to billions of people worldwide, employ more than 90 percent of the world’s fishers, and account for about 40% of the global fisheries catch. Yet, their contribution to sustainable development is often overlooked and undervalued. Using data from 51 country case studies from the Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH) Project, the EDF Fishery Solutions Center, and a co-management database from Gutierrez, Hilborn and Defeo (2011), I compile a database of tenure and access rights in SSF, an indicator for Sustainable Development Goal 14.b to “provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets.” By using a broad definition of Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries (TURFs), I explore how fishers access resources, what rules and rights govern their interactions, and if their power is de jure or de facto. This assessment reveals “new” TURFs from old systems of self-governance and finds evidence of property rights in freshwater and inland fisheries, seasonal or temporary arrangements, specific fishing methods, and familial lineages. In addition, two case studies highlight the potential benefits and challenges of declaring rights-based fisheries “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECMs) – a new area-based designation. The evidence presented in this study builds the case for recognizing de facto property rights as a potential means for the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development and lays the foundation for future research efforts.
Open Access
A Holistic Approach to Reducing Plastic Marine Debris in Coastal North Carolina
(2011-04-29) Ornell, Cassandra; Finn, Sarah
Affecting waters and coastlines worldwide, plastic marine debris is a pervasive issue that continues to intensify. It threatens wildlife, habitats, and ecosystem functioning, as well as coastal tourism and recreation. This problem can be addressed in ways ranging from local to international in scope, and voluntary to mandatory in implementation. Our objective was to reduce plastic marine debris generation in coastal North Carolina via both voluntary and mandatory approaches; therefore, we used both bottom-up and top-down methods. We focused the bottom-up piece of our project on increasing awareness of the ecological hazards plastic marine debris causes and on encouraging consumers to stop using plastic shopping bags. To this end, we employed a combination of formal and informal education tools, which included presenting in classrooms, leading coastal cleanups, and designing a plastic marine debris exhibit that we displayed at environmentally themed community events. The school presentations targeted students from kindergarten to high school, and are adaptable to a variety of levels and teacher objectives. The coastal cleanups provided community members with an opportunity to see firsthand the local extent of marine debris. Our exhibit enabled us to reach a large and diverse audience, and to show the connection between our decisions and environmental impacts. The top-down component of our project focused on understanding the effectiveness of the Outer Banks plastic bag ban (NC Senate Bill 1018) at reducing plastic marine debris and changing consumer behaviors, as well as its popularity among residents. NC Senate Bill 318, introduced in March 2011, calls for a repeal of this ban, so we composed a policy memo arguing against the repeal and sent it to all state senators. We supported our position with the results we obtained from surveys we conducted of Outer Banks and Carteret County residents. The majority of Outer Banks respondents were in support of the ban, and the majority of Carteret County respondents stated that they would support a plastic bag ban in their county, which lent credence to our argument. Our holistic approach, based on bottom-up and top-down measures, enabled us to test and assess a variety of tools that could reduce plastic marine debris in coastal North Carolina.
Open Access
A Preliminary Approach to Determining the Presence of Formal Co-Management in Small-Scale Fisheries
(2023-04-28) Risius, Alexandra
Millions of people rely on small-scale fisheries (SSF) for their livelihoods and as a source of vital, nutrient-dense food. Despite the sector’s economic, environmental and cultural significance, SSF are commonly overlooked and ill-defined, leading to fisheries being poorly managed. As SSF continue to make contributions to global fisheries production, it is important that alternative fisheries management approaches are implemented and appropriately supported to ensure SSF sustainability. Co-management is one viable management option that would allow for management power to be split between the government and resource users. This document showcases a methodology that is intended to be used as a starting point for determining co-management within a given SSF. It is designed with stakeholders, students, and researchers as key audiences in mind. This document will use a case study that highlights Chile's SSF to give the user a real-world example of how to implement the methodology and find evidence of co-management principles within their target country.
Open Access
A Preliminary Evaluation of The State of the World's Sea Turtles (SWOT) Program
(2012-04-27) Villegas, Patricia Elena
The State of the World’s Sea Turtles (SWOT) Program was created in 2003 with the goal of creating a dynamic, global-scale, geo-referenced nesting database of all marine turtle species, a network of people who generate and use the data, and a targeted communications and outreach strategy centered around an annual report. The Program is a collaboration of hundreds of individuals and institutions around the world including Oceanic Society, Duke University’s OBIS-SEAMAP, and the Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). SWOT has grown to include more than 550 data providers and has published and distributed seven SWOT Reports with award-winning maps on global marine turtle nesting distribution for the seven marine turtle species. This preliminary study highlights the importance of assessing the efficacy of the SWOT Program and its tools in order to determine whether it has been successful in advancing marine turtle research and conservation. Specifically, the study determines if SWOT products are used, how they are used by SWOT members, member expectations, and how the Program can be improved to better contribute to on-the-ground marine turtle research and conservation efforts. The preliminary evaluation presented within this text consists of a web-based survey to gauge knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes toward the SWOT Program. Thirty-three countries were represented from 172 completed surveys. Overall, survey results show that the SWOT Program has been successful in accomplishing its goals through a global network of researchers, a comprehensive database, and various communication strategies. The four most widely-used and well-known SWOT tools are the SWOT Report, maps, database, and website. These are the most well-established SWOT tools. Conversely, the lesser-known tools are those that are less established, such as the Small Grants Program, Outreach Toolkit, Minimum Data Standards, and TurtleVision. Recommendations presented herein, based on survey results, are to expand the SWOT database and network to include foraging/in-water data; establish regional networks in order to facilitate the production of regional tools; increase visibility within the global marine turtle community; expand and improve existing tools such as maps, grants, and accessibility and reliability of data; and hire an individual to manage and foment the SWOT Network.
Open Access
A Preliminary Examination of the Impacts of Faith and Religion in the Use of Common-Pool Resources: The Case of Artisanal Fisheries in Kino Bay and Punta Chueca, Mexico
(2012-04-27) Acton, Leslie
Researchers studying common-pool resources have historically not given enough attention to the influence of faith and religion among fisheries resource users. However, the ethics and value systems taught by religious leaders and understood by faithful peoples might play an important role in individual decision-making and community dynamics. To increase our understanding of the relationship between faith, religion and fishing common-pool resource use patterns, I conducted a pilot study to explore this issue in Kino Bay and Punta Chueca, two small-scale fishing communities located in the Gulf of California. These two communities are heavily dependent, both economically and culturally, on the health of nearby fishing grounds. I collected data using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with fishers over the course of 52 days in the field during May, June, July and October of 2011. Interviews explored the effects of faith and religion on fishers’ perceptions of fisheries management, fishers’ behavior while fishing, and interactions between fishers. Findings from this pilot study suggest that faith and religion play an important role in the lives of fishers in both Kino Bay and Punta Chueca. Most of the interviewees in both communities believe that human behaviors impact the quantity of fish which God provided. Evangelical interviewees in Kino Bay indicated that their churches teach strict adherence to secular fishing laws, and that their interactions with Catholic and non-religious fishers in this community sometimes result in tension and unequal treatment within the fisheries. Conversely, interviewees in Punta Chueca, which houses only one Evangelical church and no Catholic church, suggest fewer direct impacts and conflicts due to religion in their fisheries. These preliminary findings provide a useful basis for future research to validate, triangulate, and explore the issue in greater depth. They also add to the limited, but growing collection of studies examining the role of faith and religion in common-pool resource management.
Open Access
An analysis of restoration projects to inform partnerships for wetland mitigation in southeast Alaska
(2012-04-26) Spurrier, Lindsay
Wetlands provide a variety of ecological, economic, and social values and are deteriorating rapidly because of anthropogenic impacts. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) made compensatory mitigation and “no net loss” of the nation’s wetlands the main regulatory tool for wetland management. It also made wetland restoration projects key to successfully achieve the regulatory goals set out in the CWA. Stakeholder partnerships consist of representatives from private interest groups, local public agencies, and state or federal agencies who work as a group, periodically and indefinitely, on particular issues or projects. Partnerships are becoming more popular in solving environmental problems and engaging local communities in restoration projects. This project aims to inform how wetland restoration projects engage with local stakeholder partnerships in southeast Alaska through comparing stakeholder partnerships utilized in six restoration projects throughout the Puget Sound area in Washington State. Project findings inform stakeholders in southeast Alaska about what partnerships foster and facilitate successful wetland restoration projects. The main recommendations for project stakeholders include: partnering with a primary monitoring stakeholder and partnering with a primary grant and project managing stakeholder.
Open Access
An Evaluation of GIS Prioritizations for Selecting Wetland Mitigation Sites: Cook Inlet Case Study
(2011-04-25) Leduc, Elise
Recent scientific research has demonstrated the multitude of ecosystem services and functions provided by wetlands. Despite the astronomical cost that would be required to replace these vital services with manmade mechanisms, humans have a long history of filling and destroying wetlands for development. Recent decades have seen wetland protection improve under the aegis of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The CWA requires compensatory mitigation for wetlands destroyed during development, but specific mitigation requirements remain vague and many projects continue to fail. Developing better wetland mitigation site selection would provide improvements to mitigation without requiring a CWA amendment. Sites have traditionally been chosen based on geographic or monetary convenience. This study explores an increasingly popular method of selection: GIS prioritizations. GIS prioritizations can increase the efficiency, repeatability, and transparency of site selection. This project analyzes a case study in Cook Inlet, Alaska utilizing a GIS prioritization to locate high quality mitigation lands to compensate for a bridge proposed by the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority. Mitigation is required because the construction will destroy 390 acres of wetlands. To determine the most appropriate mitigation locations, 3047 nearby parcels were evaluated using 8 selection criteria. The results ranked all parcels and identified the most suitable sites to compensate for the proposed effects of the bridge. This study also compares the effectiveness of GIS prioritizations to other selection methods. GIS prioritizations were determined to be the most efficient technique for analyzing and ranking thousands of parcels. Initiating mitigation planning with a GIS prioritization can effectively direct fieldwork to just a subset of potentially high value wetlands. Hopefully better site selection with GIS prioritizations can improve overall wetland mitigation. Such improvements would not only fulfill the mitigation requirements under the CWA, but also effectively preserve remaining wetlands for future generations.
Open Access
Application of Global Value Chains to Seafood Sustainability: Lessons from the mahi mahi industries of Ecuador and Peru
(2014-04-25) Nanninga, Roxanne; Anhalzer, Gabriela
Fish products have become the most traded food commodities worldwide but wild fish stocks face ever-increasing pressure from rising demand (Smith et al., 2010). Over 75% of the world’s fisheries are currently either fully or over exploited (FAO, 2014). Developing sustainable fisheries is critical if seafood is to remain available for future generations. Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis frames these challenges holistically by linking global and local scales in order to elucidate operations and relationships throughout the international supply chain. In this study we employ the GVC framework to analyze the production of mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) from Ecuador and Peru that is exported to the United States. Information was collected from stakeholder interviews and analyzed in conjunction with trade and production data. This information was then used to construct product flow patterns, characterize governance structures, and provide insights for potential economic and environmental improvements. The importance of mahi mahi as an export commodity to small-scale fishers in developing countries combined with its highly migratory life history typify many of the challenges facing modern global fisheries. Peru and Ecuador together produce the highest volumes of mahi mahi globally. Nearly 60% of all mahi mahi imported into the United States comes from these two countries. In this analysis, we examine global trends in production and trade and track the two main product forms of mahi mahi—fresh and frozen—through the supply chain. This study also examines the transactions between actors in the supply chain and the private and public institutions acting upon them. Government regulations for fisheries, human health and safety, as well as international standards exert control at each level of the supply chain. Recently sustainability has become an additional criterion guiding the sourcing and sale of seafood. The US, one of the largest seafood buyers in the world, imports over 80% of its seafood. Private, market-based initiatives have emerged as a means of improving seafood sustainability in areas outside US fisheries management. The most prominent of these programs is the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which aims to create demand-driven premiums or preferences for certified products. Motivated by their substantial shares in the US market, Ecuador and Peru are undergoing Fishery Improvement Projects for their mahi mahi fisheries, ultimately aimed at attaining MSC certification. Through an analysis of the governance structures our study examines the influence of various actors within the value chain. We thereby determine which actors hold the greatest leverage to affect changes regarding the decision-making and enforcement of sustainability. Adoption of initiatives that engage in more sustainable seafood sourcing by retailers in the United States creates pressure downstream to implement sustainability standards. Large companies and supply chain segments that are highly integrated can exert more power through the products they buy and sell on downstream supply chain actors. The Peruvian and Ecuadorian mahi mahi fleets are largely comprised of informal networks of artisanal fishers with relatively low technological capabilities. This scenario poses challenges to the effective implementation of private standards and fishery regulations. By contrast, processing plants exert a high degree of control over the supply and production of fish, better positioning them to implement or enforce sustainability measures. Our study recommends improvements for the industry’s environmental and economic outcomes. We do so by evaluating the position of both Ecuador and Peru in the global market and their progress on pre-existing sustainability programs. These include discussion on the importance of sustainable and innovative financing tools for market-based initiatives as well as the need for increased transparency and coordination. Our recommendations, informed by a comprehensive understanding of the value chain, may prove useful to industry leaders and environmental organizations interested in improving sustainability practices.
Open Access
Atong Kabakhawan: Making Participation Meaningful in Community-Based Mangrove Restoration in Negros Oriental, Philippines
(2019-04-19) Siegelman, Ben
Community-based management has a long history in the Philippines, where local participation has been a central concern of coastal conservation. Participation, however, is poorly defined and assessments are rarely based on the perceptions of participants themselves. Building on applied anthropology and participatory research techniques, I studied participation through an ethnography of community-based mangrove restoration projects in Negros Oriental, Philippines. Ethnographic research revealed the values, goals, and perceptions of local participants while situating these findings within their broader social context. I use Bisaya language as a guide for analysis, examining key phrases to show how local meanings impact mangrove participation in unexpected ways. From these findings, I make recommendations for applying ethnographic insights to project activities and develop a perception-based monitoring tool to assess participant engagement.
Open Access
Community based fisheries management on Guam
(2013-04-25) Loerzel, Adrienne
Guam, the largest and most populated island in Micronesia, is surrounded by a narrow fringing reef that supports important cultural, subsistence and economic activities. However, this reef system is under immense pressure from development, sedimentation, and overharvesting. Managers lack the necessary resources to effectively address these threats, and fisheries management in particular has proven to be exceedingly difficult. Fishers and managers, though they do not agree on causes or solutions, both recognize dramatic declines in many fish stocks and the need to take action to reverse this negative trend. Community based management models offer one promising approach. This study examines the current state of Guam’s community based management efforts and obstacles to expanding community approaches on island. Data collected through participant observation and key informant interviews were used to create a series of recommendations to improve current management and move toward more community involvement in fisheries. Recommendations include the creation of programs to reconnect residents with the marine environment, repair of relationships between local and federal government agencies and stakeholders, improved enforcement, and pilot projects for community management in small village sites.
Open Access
Determining local perceptions and challenges for environmental conservation in Utila, Honduras
(2011-04-29) Daniel, Jessica
The Bay Islands are a group of small islands off the coast of Honduras, comprised of three larger islands - Roatan, Utila and Guanaja - and several dozen cays. Due to the Islands’ Caribbean feel and inexpensive cost they have become a popular tourist destination for thrifty travelers and are a frequent stop for SCUBA diving enthusiasts. Major threats in the region are the destruction of natural coastal habitats by increasing coastal population and tourism developments and increased sedimentation due to extensive use of watersheds and inland deforestation. In particular, Utila has become known as one of the best diving sites in the world, placing further pressure on the island’s fragile marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Declines in island species such as the endemic iguana Ctenosaura bakeri have been documented, along with damaged coral reefs from various activities, mangrove deforestation, decreasing coral cover and noted fish declines for several fish species. This last fact may be particularly important given the large fishing community that has existed on the island for decades. Despite Utila’s small size, its roughly 8000 residents are a mix of generational Utilians, mainland Hondurans, and Ex-patriates who come from extremely diverse backgrounds, thus often making attempts to engage the community in environmental conservation difficult. In an effort to understand the environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of Utila’s three main populations, an environmental survey was conducted in the summer of 2010. Results from the survey indicate that the majority of islanders recognize and are concerned with the decreasing health of the island’s ecosystems and resources. It was also found that though most individuals were aware of the island’s various environmental regulations, they recognize that the majority of people do not follow them, and that this is particularly true for fishing regulations. This finding and firsthand experiences led to an in depth look at the Honduran Fisheries Law and subsequent regulations related to the law. This paper presents the findings from the survey and also explores the possibility of using a community based environmental management approach to protect the island’s resources and monitor local fishing practices.
Open Access
Dock to Doorstep: An Overview of Community Supported Fishery (CSF) Programs in the United States & Canada
(2015-04-09) Bolton, Alexis
In response to an increasingly globalized seafood industry, Community Supported Fishery (CSF) programs have gained popularity over the last decade. Based loosely on the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, CSFs have been described as one way to alter the traditional seafood supply chain by connecting fishers more directly to consumers. While there are a number of potential benefits to this marketing strategy, CSF programs can vary with respect to their goals, institutional structure, sourcing practices, distribution methods, and supplementary seafood sales, which may result in differential benefits to consumers and harvesters. To further investigate these differences and why they may occur, I conducted phone interviews with 22 CSFs, representing 56% of the CSFs currently in operation the United States and Canada. Results indicate CSF programs are diverse and greater consideration should be taken to understand the potential benefits of each unique model. To draw attention to the diversity of arrangements the term ‘CSF’ represents, and help ensure the potential benefits of particular CSF arrangements are presented accurately, three types of CSFs are identified based on the results of this study.
Open Access
Facilitating Coastal Stormwater Management in North Carolina: Runoff Estimation and Institutional Education
(2014-04-18) Zaykoski, Peter
In coastal North Carolina, increased surface runoff from urban, agricultural, and forestry development contaminates coastal waters and has led to extensive shellfishing area closures. Coastal communities looking to restore their waters become eligible for restoration funding when they complete watershed restoration plans with numeric pollutant reduction goals. In this work, I present a new geospatial analysis tool for calculating modern and historic stormwater runoff estimates, which can be used as proxies for restoration goals. This tool uses satellite-derived land cover, soils, and precipitation data to provide stormwater estimates using a watershed boundary as the minimum required input. Additionally, to improve the accuracy of estimates, the tool has optional inputs for the proportion of impervious surface that is disconnected in the watershed and for areas drained for forestry operations. I compare the results from this estimator with the more labor intensive methods used in previous stormwater management plans and with estimates from SWARM (Stormwater Runoff Modelling System), recently developed by NOAA. Finally, I provide recommendations for how to best integrate these tools into the current management framework.
Open Access
How Should the Fundacion Gonzalo Rio-Arronte Allocate $15 Million Annually to Address Mexico's Water Problems?
(2018-04-26) Lee, Jason Yongwoo; Xu, Zoey Zhuying
Mexico’s water issues are complicated by a heterogeneous distribution of water resources that is inverse to its distribution of socioeconomic resources. The Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte is a Mexico City-based charitable foundation that would like to know the best practices in improving water supply and quality in Mexico. Possible water interventions were sorted into four categories: technology-based solutions, microfinance, community engagement and capacity-building, and green infrastructure. Best practices in each of these four areas were summarized with literature reviews, case studies, and interviews with global NGOs. We report the following. Technology-based solutions should be integrated with education and advocacy programs to ensure the longevity of the project. The key to a successful, self-sustaining microfinance program is a high repayment rate. Community-based projects must create a feeling of ownership of the water project or resources through provision of training, meaningful local control of decisions, and building local human capital. Constructed wetlands can be a low-cost, low-maintenance, decentralized option for local water quality treatment. Ecosystem restoration projects should have a consistent, scientific protocol of site selection to make these expensive projects cost-effective.
Open Access
Investigating the relationship between management practices and genetic diversity: a population genetics study of pen shell clam (Atrina tuberculosa) in the Gulf of California, Mexico
(2014-04-22) Rayfield, Megan
The management of commercial fisheries is complicated by the movement of the resource of interest among areas with different management practices. When a species is heavily harvested in one portion of its range, the effects are translated to other fisheries in terms of a decline in abundance, or in some cases, a loss of genetic diversity. Conserving genetic diversity is important, especially in commercially harvested populations, because it provides the population with greater resilience to changing environmental conditions. One popular strategy that fisheries managers use to alleviate the differences in fishing pressures across the entire range of a species is the establishment of marine protected areas. MPAs also act to conserve biodiversity within their boundaries, and many areas of the world’s highest marine biodiversity occur in developing countries where commercial fishing is practiced at small scales. Understanding the interplay between MPAs and small-scale fisheries will allow for the most comprehensive management decisions. My research uses molecular techniques to investigate the levels of genetic diversity between two commercially harvested bivalve populations in the Gulf of California, Mexico in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based MPA in terms of a potential genetic benefit to an open-access fishery. The results show no significant genetic structure or difference in levels of genetic diversity between the two populations, and the lack of private alleles indicates that there is positive gene flow between these two areas by means of larval transport. Despite the influx of larvae from the MPA to the open-access fishery, pen shell abundances continue to decline, and these data suggest that the presence of an MPA adjacent to this open-access fishery is not enough to sustain the population under current harvesting practices.
Open Access
Learning from 20 Years of Small-Scale Fisheries Co-Management in Africa
(2021-04-30) Baker, Colleen
In small-scale fisheries (SSFs), co-management is emerging as one of the most promising and common governance approaches available to managers. In developing contexts, co-management has been implemented as part of the broader development shift toward participatory methods and devolutions of authority that took place in the 1990s. Yet, since that first shift in development thinking toward participation and decentralization, there has been a tremendous amount of scholarship on SSF management and governance that critiques and builds upon these new participatory foundations. This meta-analysis examines the literature on SSF co-management in Africa from the past 20 years to identify how those new perspectives and methods have altered the type of issues we identify with systems. Using 91 articles from both the academic and gray literature that evaluate and assess co-management systems or projects in Africa, this study identifies eight major cluster of similar problems identified in co-management systems over the last 20 years. The findings show that diagnoses of SSF co-management issues in Africa have remained stable over time, between academic and practitioners, and across geographies. Issues have been observed at similar rates, with the most common diagnoses being Blueprint Implementation, Lack of Capacity, and Lack of Accountability, regardless of time period. By distilling key issues for a region that is underrepresented in co-management reviews, this paper helps focus future analyses and better guide future co-management initiatives in the region.
Open Access
Learning from Performance of Small-scale Fishery Development Projects
(2018-04-27) Hayes, Christine
In light of the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, multiple nongovernmental organizations (“NGOs”) and development agencies are seeking to re-evaluate the ways in which they engage with small-scale fisheries (“SSFs”) around the globe. As groups seek to engage with and fund projects in SSFs, it is increasingly necessary to look at what successful outcomes of SSFs management interventions might look like. I sought to explore how and why fisheries development projects delivering external financial or technical support to SSFs might facilitate successful outcomes by looking through past studies from the published scientific literature. Learning how past SSFs projects have evaluated success might provide insight into trends for monitoring projects as well as future direction of project evaluations. Studies looking into these questions have not been done for SSFs. I worked to contribute towards identifying pathways to effectively increase technical and financial support to SSFs at a large spatial scale as a basis for a new global strategy. Specifically, I explored the following research questions: (1) how the literature describes and documents large-scale SSFs development projects (2) how and why large-scale fisheries development projects might facilitate successful outcomes, and (3) how impact of these large-scale fisheries projects is measured in the literature. This project identifies and describes 30 large-scale SSFs development projects delivering research and policy support to a wide geographic spread of countries and geographies.
Open Access
Perceptions of fisheries management, gill net use and income diversification among small-scale fishers in Belize
(2016-04-27) Mayhew, Juliana
Despite numerous agencies and resources dedicated to fisheries management and conservation in Belize, the lack of knowledge regarding small-scale fishers’ perceptions of marine resource management, the local gill net fishery, and income diversification hinders effective marine resource policy implementation and enforcement. To help address this, a pilot survey was conducted with 60 fishers from five communities in Belize throughout June and July 2015. An analysis of the surveys reveals: 1) widespread concern about illegal fishing activity and lack of enforcement; 2) appeals for increased stakeholder engagement and participation in decision-making at the community level; 3) varying support for restrictions or bans on gill net use in Belize; and 4) a broad interest in income diversification, especially opportunities related to marine tourism. This study helps inform fisheries management by highlighting the voices of small-scale fishers with valuable local knowledge and a vested interest in the future of the resources they depend on.
Open Access
Supporting small-scale fisheries: World Bank aid, objectives and interventions over time
(2018-04-27) Hamilton, Jill
Small-scale fisheries account for 38 percent of the total oceanic fish catch and are the ocean’s largest employer. Ninety percent of small-scale fisheries (SSF) are located in developing countries, and the proper management of SSF plays a key role in global food security and poverty eradication. The World Bank, a multilateral aid organization focused on reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development globally, is the biggest individual funder of SSF, and analyzing World Bank aid targeted to support small-scale fisheries can thus be a valuable proxy for understanding broader global aid trends and support strategies. A review of World Bank projects targeted to support SSF was conducted, and funding amount, problems identified, project objectives and project intervention type were identified and analyzed over time. The World Bank provided more than $463 million in funds explicitly targeted to support small-scale fisheries from 2000 to 2018, with the majority of aid allocated to countries in Africa, South Asia, and East Asia and the Pacific. Project objectives and interventions changed over time, shifting from a focus on utilizing under-exploited fisheries resources to a focus on conserving and sustainably managing fisheries resources. Additionally, a review of national policy planning documents for countries receiving SSF funding suggests that aid for SSF may be country-driven, although these results are limited. Future efforts to support SSF may wish to align their objectives and interventions with best-practices outlined in international SSF policy instruments, such as the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries.

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Browsing Nicholas School of the Environment by Advisor "Basurto, Xavier"