The influence of nudges on compliance behaviour in recreational fisheries: a laboratory experiment

Abstract

Non-compliance is a tenacious problem in recreational fisheries management, posing a risk to marine conservation and socio-ecological systems by, for example, undermining management efforts and creating conflict between resource user groups. In fisheries management, deterrence-based approaches have traditionally been used to tackle non-compliance. However, enforcement is often limited in recreational fisheries and an alternative approach is needed to improve compliance. In this paper, we explore the lessons from behavioural economics and apply nudge theory as the basis of alternative management approaches. Nudge theory argues that through positive reinforcement or indirect suggestion, voluntary compliance can be achieved. We test the influence of a nudge, based on a descriptive social norm, through an economic laboratory experiment in a recreational fisheries context. Our results show that the presence of this nudge can increase compliance behaviour by 10%. We find that a nudge was more effective when deterrence is low, but its effects become weaker when deterrence is already high. We also find heterogeneity across individual’s responses to the nudge and risk preferences significantly related to compliance behaviour. Nudges based on social norms have the potential to complement traditional deterrence methods and could prove successful as a cost-effective compliance tool in the marine environment.

Technological innovations in the recreational fishing sector: implications for fisheries management and policy

“…Smartphones can change the way that anglers and agencies interact by creating opportunities for the two-way flow of information in near real time. For example, app use at certain places and times can trigger alerts that are designed to improve compliance with regulations (Mackay et al 2018 , 2019 ), encourage conservation behaviour (e.g., best handling practices, invasive species control), or improve safety. Alerts can also prompt anglers to report specific and accurate information, or complete surveys in support of management or research.…”

“…For example, pushing messages about conservation orientated behaviour and good handling practices could be used to enhance positive behaviours and change social norms (e.g. nudge—Mackay et al 2018 , 2019 ). In addition, artificial intelligence methods could be used to assess compliance with regulations through photographs or videos posted on social media (e.g., Belhabib et al 2016 ; Sbragaglia et al 2020 ).…”

Me and My Behavior: An Experiment on Individual Characteristics and Compliance Behavior in Recreational Fishing

“…This design is a standard static common pool resource game used in economic experiments (Cardenas, 2011;Castillo et al, 2011). For more detail on the experimental process and design please see Mackay et al (2019). For each session, a group of six participants earned money by 'catching fish' , which reflects the enjoyment fishers receive from going fishing.…”

“…The fishing scenarios use a combination of normative and instrumental incentives to encourage compliance behavior with a catch limit. Building on the results of Mackay et al (2019) which presents the results for each of the four scenarios comparing the normative and instrumental incentives, here we examine both consistency and variation in behavior across the four scenarios. In doing so we can isolate the effects of an instrumental and normative incentive in both a low deterrence and a high deterrence context.…”

All by myself? Testing descriptive social norm-nudges to increase flood preparedness among homeowners

“…Nevertheless, norm-nudges do not work in all circumstances, and their effectiveness depends on the design of the normnudge (Hummel & Maedche, 2019). Moreover, there is a risk that a norm-nudge will be ineffective (see, e.g., Chabé-Ferret et al, 2019;Mackay et al, 2019) or even backfire, if not properly tailored to the population and context of interest (Hauser et al, 2018). For example, norm-nudges may backfire when they provide information about normviolating behavior (e.g., tax evasion), which may lower motivations for compliance (Richter et al, 2018).…”