Abstract:
Two topics concerning fisheries management are considered in this thesis.
The first concerns the social values that commercial fishing communities associate
with commercial fishing. A survey of residents from eleven Oregon Coastal fishing
communities was conducted to examine the social values associated with the
commercial fishing occupation and fishing heritage. Community and social values
as they are conceptualized in this study, refer to the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs
held by fishers and non-fishers in commercial fishing communities. These values
include sentiments about preserving existing ways of life, improving community
services, attachment to place, maintaining the natural resource history of the area,
and increasing economic opportunities.
The second topic examines the extent to which social and community
values held by fishing communities are identified and integrated into fishery
management decisions. There is little knowledge about the process by which this
information is obtained or identified, or whether or not that information is useful - information that could increase the ability of decision-makers, policy makers and
managers to comply with the spirit of the amended Magnuson-Stevens Act. The
ability in which fisheries managers and decision-makers incorporate, integrate and
learn about social values associated with commercial fishing may depend greatly
on their understanding of how these values are embedded within communities.
