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Understanding the governance processes and socio-economic contexts of local fishing communities is important if the introduction of bycatch mitigation measures of marine megafauna is to be successful. However, there is a deficiency of information about governance processes and socio-economic contexts in the region. This study was conducted to explore the governance processes and socio-economic factors relevant to the implementation of bycatch mitigation in eight selected villages in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Questionnaire-based interviews were conducted with fishers (n= 240), One focus group discussion was held in each study site with different stakeholders, each group involved 6 participates, also key informant interviews (n= 11) were carried out, to collect primary data. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the effect of five selected socio-economic factors on the willingness of fishers to implement potential future bycatch mitigation measures of marine megafauna. These five factors are education, age, proportion of household income from fishing, experience of fishers with main fishing gears, and the number of adults who bring income into the household. The results indicated that only one factor which was the number of adults who bring income into the household had a significant effect on the willingness of fishers to implement bycatch mitigation measures, with a p-value of 0.016. The study also revealed that most (84%) of interviewed fishers perceived that mitigation measures will not have a negative impact on their livelihood. Furthermore, the study showed that current measures to manage bycatch rates are not explicit, no rules govern elasmobranches bycatch; and rules regarding marine mammal and sea turtle bycatch are poorly enforced. These findings will benefit the governance and management of marine megafauna in Zanzibar. |
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