Territoriality as a Driver of Fishers' Spatial Behavior in the Northumberland Lobster Fishery

Citation

Turner RA, Gray T, Polunin NVC & Stead SM (2013) Territoriality as a Driver of Fishers' Spatial Behavior in the Northumberland Lobster Fishery. Society and Natural Resources, 26 (5), pp. 491-505. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2012.709313

Abstract
Knowledge of informal rules governing fishers' behavior is important to help formulate policies suited to local conditions and supported by resource users. Fishers' behavior may be influenced by informal property rights or territoriality, yet drivers of such behavior in UK fisheries have seldom been explored. This study presents findings from interviews with lobster fishers (n = 44) at six ports in Northumberland, UK. The study aimed to investigate the existence, importance, and drivers of territoriality in this fishery, contributing to the debate over whether informal rules and norms may benefit modern fisheries management. The findings showed evidence of group territorial behavior based more on social norms than on economic calculations, but declining in response to changes in fleet structure, technological developments, legal sanctions, and community cohesiveness. Territoriality was being replaced by a new norm of "first come first served"; if this norm fails, spatial planning regulations may need to be introduced.

Journal
Society and Natural Resources: Volume 26, Issue 5