Women and Children First: the Gendered and Generational Social-ecology of Smaller-scale Fisheries in Newfoundland and Labrador and Northern Norway

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The resilience of small-scale fisheries in developed and developing countries has been used to provide lessons to conventional managers regarding ways to transition toward a social-ecological approach to understanding and managing fisheries. We contribute to the understanding of the relationship between management and the resilience of small-scale fisheries in developed countries by looking at these dynamics in the wake of the shock of stock collapse and fisheries closures in two contexts: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and northern Norway. We revisit and update previous research on the gendered effects of the collapse and closure of the Newfoundland and Labrador northern cod fishery and the closure of the Norwegian cod fishery in the early 1990s and present new research on young people in fisheries communities in both contexts. We argue that post-closure fishery policy and industry responses that focused on downsizing fisheries through professionalization, the introduction of quotas, and other changes ignored the gendered and intergenerational household basis of small-scale fisheries and its relationship to resilience. Data on ongoing gender inequities within these fisheries and on largely failed recruitment of youth to these fisheries suggest they are currently at a tipping-point that, if not addressed, could lead to their virtual disappearance in the near future.

"The fishery went away": The impacts of long-term fishery closures on young people's experience and perception of fisheries employment in Newfoundland coastal communities

“…In the last 20 years, the fishing industry has experienced declines in employment in the harvesting and processing sectors, a reduction of 35.2% and 50.8% between 1989and 2010, respectively (MOU Steering Committee 2011. These declines are due to plant closures, the reduced number of fishing enterprises, professionalization mechanisms that restrict fish harvester membership, and the increased costs of enterprises (Power 2005, 2008, Neis et al 2013. It has also become difficult to recruit younger workers to the industry (MacDonald et al 2013).…”

“…In this article we build on this research by drawing on the findings of the Rural Youth and Recovery component of the Community-University for Recovery Research Alliance (CURRA). The fishery can serve as a symbolic and material site of belonging for youth in Newfoundland and Labrador (see Power et al 2014), but here, building on Neis et al (2013), we focus on their experiences and perceptions of employment options in Newfoundland and Labrador, and consider what this means for the resiliency of small-scale fisheries.…”

“…From an intergenerational equity perspective, the resiliency of small-scale fisheries depends on the sustainable use of fisheries resources for future generations, as well as mechanisms that attract and support the recruitment of new generations of fisheries workers (Neis et al 2013). In the case of Newfoundland and Labrador, young people have fewer employment options in fisheries than previous generations.…”

Conclusions: Reframing the Possibilities for Natural and Social Science Dialogue on the Economic History of Natural Resources

“…Interestingly, although the effects of the fishery closures on the cod (Gadus morhua) populations in the two areas differed, the effects of the postclosure policies on those fishing communities were very similar. Neis et al (2013) conclude that the effects of policy interventions can be as important in shaping small-scale fisheries as resource status and ecology. Although the South African policy was aimed at industrial fishing, in the case of Newfoundland the example shows how the corporate shift is supported by policies that lack understanding of the social and socioeconomic fabric of which coastal communities are made.…”

“…The analysis by Jarre et al shows that these developments have not only marginalized inshore fishers but have also increased pressure on the resource, and this in spite of the conservation measures that were put in place to protect the long-term sustainability of the fishery and the industry that was built on it. Similarly, Neis et al (2013) highlight the unintended effects of policy interventions after fishery closures in Newfoundland, Canada, and Norway. Their comparative study shows how policies aimed at downscaling the fishery have affected coastal communities, and in particular women and youths.…”