Global study yields insights on conflict between small-scale fishing communities and industrial fleets

Research team led by Melissa Cronin of SMAST develop first global framework for understanding how and where conflict between small-scale and industrial fisheries poses the greatest threat to communities

A new study published in Nature Food maps global hot spots where small-scale fishing communities are most vulnerable to conflict with industrial fleets. The study was led by UMass Dartmouth Assistant Professor of Fisheries Oceanography Melissa Cronin and a team of researchers from Duke University, Stanford University, Georgetown University, the Michigan State University, Lancaster University, and Conservation International.

In this study, researchers introduce the Small-scale and Industrial Fisheries Interaction Index (SIFI Index), a new framework that assesses vulnerability to interactions between small-scale fisheries (SSF) and large-scale fisheries (LSF) across 126 coastal countries. Their research finds that vulnerability is greatest for countries in Africa, followed by parts of Oceania and Asia, particularly in countries where communities rely heavily on small-scale fisheries for food and livelihoods and have limited capacity to respond to disruptions. However, the index also identifies some outlier countries with unexpectedly low risk for small scale fishery-industrial fishery conflict, offering insights that can inform proactive policy and management.

Small-scale fishing operations are central to the way of life for nearly half a billion people worldwide, providing income, food security, and cultural identity. However, many small-scale fishers face escalating competition from large-scale industrial fishing fleets, increasing the risk for conflict and negative interactions. Such interactions pose an existential threat to coastal fishing communities and can also destabilize marine ecosystems and lead to conflict between countries. At the January 2024 meeting of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management, delegates acknowledged these risks and explicitly urged nations to address potential conflict between small- and large-scale fishing operations. The SIFI Index provides important context and data that can help countries fulfill this recommendation.

"Conflict with industrial boats is a problem that small-scale fishers often raise, but it is difficult to study systematically because it takes so many forms," said Cronin. “Understanding these conflicts matters because they shape people’s livelihoods and the prospects for sustainable fisheries."

Countries with weaker governance tended to be more vulnerable to interactions between industrial and small-scale fisheries, largely through greater dependence on small-scale fishing for food and livelihoods. These findings suggest that addressing vulnerability requires both effective fisheries governance and support for the communities most dependent on these resources.

The findings highlight the need for local case studies to understand how global patterns play out in fishing communities. "Our analysis helps identify where vulnerability may be greatest, but it cannot tell us when competition becomes conflict or who bears the costs," said Cronin. "For that, we need to work directly with fishing communities to understand their experiences and identify solutions that fit the local context."

"Conflict among LSF and SSF has been a topic of high importance for coastal fishers around the world for more than thirty years, and to our knowledge this is the first global study to start directly addressing it in a constructive manner," said Xavier Basurto, Professor of Environmental Social Sciences at Stanford University and the senior author on the study. This work can help guide future, more targeted interventions for international and national efforts to reduce fisheries conflict.

"This study is extremely useful for informing fisheries management and conservation in practice,” said Elena Finkbeiner, Director of Coastal Community Fisheries at Conservation International and Associate Professor of Practice at University of California Santa Cruz. "It provides us with a blueprint of critical geographies to prioritize holistic conservation and management efforts where small-scale and large-scale fleets are competing for the same resources, using the same coastline, or entering the same markets."

Understanding these conflicts matters because they shape people’s livelihoods and the prospects for sustainable fisheries.