Portsmouth Business School

Thesis summary

This study assesses artisanal fisher's vulnerability and resource governance regime change in relation to livelihood security and resource stewardship in two contrasting research locations in post-war Sierra Leone. Civil war does not leave an undisturbed homogenous environment in its wake. Artisanal fishers who land in excess of three quarters of domestic fish supply already find themselves close to the poverty line and new shocks severly threaten their livelihood. Foreign owned industrial fleets violate the Inshore Exclusion Zone, ensuing conflicts with local artisanal fishers. Sound fisheries resource governance is vital to resource stewardship, acceptance and compliance with management tactics and strategies. Flawed resource governance regime, exclusive of attributes correctly tuned to interest parties' goal, is inimical to the success of governance arrangements and hence management intervention. Inclusion of artisanal fishers in poverty reduction policies of the state, including the social and environmental sustainability of the coastal zone are conditions for national security. These issues will be addressed by integrating natural scientific knowledge and social scientific insights into the interaction of artisanal fishers with the socio-economic and environmental realities.