title: Livelihoods and Fisheries Governance in a Contemporary Pacific Island Setting.
abstract: Inshore marine resources play an important role in the livelihoods of Pacific Island coastal communities. However, such reliance can be detrimental to inshore marine ecosystems. Understanding the livelihoods of coastal communities is important for devising relevant and effective fisheries management strategies. Semi-structured household interviews were conducted with householders in Langalanga Lagoon, Solomon Islands, to understand household livelihoods and resource governance in fishing-dependent communities. Households were engaged in a diverse range of livelihoods. Fishing, shell money production and gardening were the most important livelihoods. Proximity to an urban centre influenced how households accessed some livelihoods. Perceptions of management rules varied and different reasons were cited for why rules were broken, the most common reason being to meet livelihood needs. Current models of inshore small-scale fisheries management that are based on the notion of community-based resource management may not work in locations where customary management systems are weak and livelihoods are heavily reliant on marine resources. An important step for fisheries management in such locations should include elucidating community priorities through participatory development planning, taking into consideration livelihoods as well as governance and development aspirations.
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
authors.forename: Reuben J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Sulu
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Penang, Malaysia.|Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
authors.forename: Hampus
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
authors.forename: Anne-Maree
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Penang, Malaysia.|Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
authors.forename: Neil L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Orirana
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
authors.forename: Meshach
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sukulu
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oeta
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
authors.forename: Daykin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harohau
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sibiti
authors.affiliation: Malaita Provincial Fisheries Division, Malaita Province, Solomon Islands.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toritela
authors.affiliation: WorldFish, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beare
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D005398:Fisheries; D006801:Humans; D008542:Melanesia; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010139:Pacific Islands; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors