Evolution of Norms and Conservation Rules in Two Fisheries

Dr. James M. Acheson and Dr. Ann Acheson will undertake research on the processes by which rules to regulate natural resources come into being and the reasons they are followed or ignored. Most renewable natural resources are in a state of decline, including fisheries, grasslands, and forests. One reason is that rules and laws to conserve natural resources often fail to work well. This team of researchers will seek to understand the underlying reasons by studying two fisheries in the Gulf of Maine: the lobster industry, where effective rules have been developed and catches are at record highs, and the groundfish industry (which includes such fish as cod and haddock) where catches are at historic low levels and management appears to be ineffective. To study how these two management systems evolved, the project has four related components: (1) a study of the current culture and social organization of these two industries; (2) a historical study designed to understand how a conservation ethic arose in the lobster industry, while groundfishermen are just now beginning to try to conserve; (3) controlled laboratory experimental games done with Maine fishermen to explore when people will constrain their own exploitive efforts; (4) an evolutionary game theory model to integrate findings from the other parts of the project. The project will be carried out by an interdisciplinary team of anthropologists with extensive knowledge of Maine fisheries and fisheries policy, and economists with expertise in game theory. This project seeks to answer two important questions. First, how do norms and rules come into being? Second, what are the factors leading people to conserve or overexploit resources? This research has theoretical importance for social scientists seeking to understand the origins and persistence of social rules and institutions. The research findings also will have practical implications for resource managers, legislators, and policy makers

What Does the Future Hold for Maine’s Lobster Industry?

The Maine lobster industry is one of the most successfully managed fisheries in the world. Catches have been at record high levels since the 1990s due to favorable environmental factors, regulations enacted over a period of years, and the conservation ethic of fishermen. The industry faces problems that threaten its future: shell disease, climate change, increased regulations to protect right whales, and economic uncertainty. Several approaches could help protect the lobster industry, including enacting lower trap limits, expanding markets for live and processed lobster, and increasing in-state processing capacity. The latter two are already underway, but prospects for lower trap limits are uncertain

Modeling Disaster: The Failure of Management of the New England Groundfish Industry

Most of the worlds' marine fisheries are overexploited or endangered, including the New England groundfishery, once one of the world’s most prolific. After 35 years of management, stock sizes and catches are lower now than ever. We argue that New England groundfishermen are caught in a prisoner’s dilemma, from which they have failed to escape. We then suggest a set of policies to get these groudnfishermen out of their dilemma.Fishermen's dilemma, fishery management, New England fisheries

Attitudes toward Offshore Wind Power in the Midcoast Region of Maine

Given the likelihood of the development of offshore wind farms in Maine and the increasingly politicized nature of discussions about wind power in general, there is a need for more systematic information on Mainers’ opinions about offshore wind power. In this article, James Acheson provides information on the range of public opinion about offshore wind power based on a survey of fishermen, tourism-related business owners and coastal property owners in Midcoast Maine. He assesses the accuracy of some public concerns and discusses the broader policy issues raised about offshore wind development

Attitudes Towards Limited Entry Among Fin Fishermen in Northern New England

Management of marine fisheries by limited entry legislation promises not only to protect the breeding stock and increase catches,but also to improve economic efficiency and increase returns to fishermen. It will also undoubtedly disrupt existing social and economic relationships. While no limited entry legislation is in effect in New England, fishermen know about the limited entry management option and have strong opinions that are certain to influence politicial support. Some of the 190 Maine and New Hampshire fishermen interviewed favor or oppose such legislation because their own economic selfinterest would be positively or negatively affected. Most, however, oppose or favor such legislation on ideational grounds --e.g., they favor free enterprise. Quantitative data on attitudes towards limited entry and such factors as age of fisherman, primary species exploited, and versatility of fishing operation suggest that attitudes were more influenced by self-interest than many admitted overtly

Confounding the Goals of Management: Response of the Maine Lobster Industry to a Trap Limit

The behavior of fishermen is often far more complicated than assumed by fisheries managers. Those concerned with the Maine lobster (i.e., American lobster Homarus americanus, hereafter lobster ) fishery have long favored a cap on the number of traps each license holder can use. Fishermen favor trap limits primarily to cut costs and limit congestion, and managers believe such limits will help reduce fishing effort. Yet when trap limits were imposed by the legislature and the lobster zone councils between 1995 and 1998, the number of traps fished in Maine waters increased greatly. A survey of half the lobster license holders carried out in the summer and fall of 1998 revealed that the response of fishermen to trap limits was highly differential. Some fishermen reduced, but more increased, the number of traps they fished. A complicated set of variables influenced those decisions concerning trap numbers, including the regulatory environment, age and characteristics of the fishermen, relative economic opportunities, and reference group behavior. One of the assumptions running through the literature on fisheries management is that fishermen are homogenous and respond in similar ways to management initiatives. In fact, if we can judge by the data from the Maine lobster fishery, the response of fishermen to a management initiative can be quite diverse, and license holders may respond to a wide variety of social and economic factors in ways that confound the goals of management. This study points out that the effects of management cannot be ascertained unless we have an accurate and relatively sophisticated understanding of the myriad factors motivating the decisions of the fishermen

Maine Forest Landowner Study

One of the most important questions for resource management is, under what conditions will users conserve the resources on which their livelihood depends? This project studies the forest management strategies of different types of forest landowner groups in Maine. Some owners are doing a far better job of managing their forests sustainably than are others. The quality of management practices is a crucial issues at this time, because the rapid depletion of forests is a world-wide problem. Maine is a particularly good laboratory to study forest management issues because it is the most heavily forested state in the country, and a wide variety of management practices are being used. In Maine, the rate of cutting is not sustainable, according to a number of studies. As a result, the amount of land covered with brush and scrub trees has increased greatly, and the amount of acreage in high quality forests has declined greatly. At the same time, Maine\u27s entire forest industry, one of the state\u27s largest industries, is undergoing great changes. Paper mills are being closed, employment is declining sharply, and large tracts of land are changing hands.This project involves an anthropologist and a forester studying Maine\u27s paper companies, timber companies, forest contractors and small private forest owners. Two different, but complementary, kinds of studies will be done. First, information will be gathered on the forest management practices of a sample of landowners in each of the landowner categories, with emphasis on the paper companies and the private landowners. This information will be gathered using a number of techniques: mail surveys, qualitative in-person interviews, archival research, and direct observations. This study is designed to understand the forest management strategies of these landowners, and the social, cultural, economic and political factors motivating these decisions. Second, the actual state of the forests of these landowners will be evaluated using both field visits and the analysis of satellite images. Information from these studies will be used to test a number of hypotheses which will give us a greater understanding of the behavior of private forest-owners.Broader implications: This study will enhance our understanding of the factors motivating people in various landowner categories to conserve or over-exploit their forests. Legislators, management agencies, and local communities would be able to act on this information to frame better resource management policies

Essays on Social and Cultural Aspects of New England Fisheries: Implications for Management, 1980 Final Report, Volume II

This volume provides baseline data on the fishing communities and fisheries of New England, information on key values and social institutions, and a model for applying social science information to problems of fisheries management. Articles presented on institutions and values range from discussions of occupational commitment and types of fishermen and fish markets to studies of fishermen\u27s wives and kinship. Several types of innovation, including a metal lobster trap and electronic fishing gear, are reported, and the social and economic factors that determine their adoption or non-adoption are considered. Four articles on applications of social and economic information to specific problems facing managers of New England fisheries are included

Public Access to Privately Owned Land in Maine

In Maine, people have long used private land for recreation. James Acheson points out that this “open land” tradition—unique in the nation—has huge economic implications, especially for the state’s tourism industry. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in land posting, largely in response to abuses by the public. Although a number of different kinds of institutions have arisen to allow continued public access to private land, Acheson suggests that more needs to be done if Maine’s “open land” tradition is to be maintaine