A case study analysis of a participatory process in fisheries management

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the experiences of participants in a participatory process in environmental management and to examine relative contributions of process features and the achievement of social goals to participants perceptions of their experience. I examined the case of the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission Sea Turtle Advisory Committee, an ad-hoc advisory committee composed of scientists, fishermen, and managers convened to develop solutions to reduce sea turtle-fishery interactions in North Carolina inshore waters. I conducted semi-structured interviews with participants about their experience on this committee. I recorded and transcribed audio of the interviews and coded participant responses using NVivo software. Most participants categorized their experience as positive overall, citing the achievement of social goals rather than the production of substantive recommendations. Participants were most satisfied by the level of motivation of their fellow participants, but least satisfied by the lack of responsiveness from the lead agency, the Marine Fisheries Commission. The committee’s achievement of its goals was further hampered by poor facilitation, which resulted in confusion about the goals and scope of the process. Despite significant setbacks, all committee members responded that they would consider participating in a participatory process again in the future.