Socio-economics of trawl fisheries in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea
The collection of socio-economic information was carried out in pilot sites in Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.
In Indonesia, no study was conducted owing to the ban on trawl fisheries beginning January 2015. However, a paper based on key informant interviews was prepared. The studies were implemented under the project, Strategies for trawl fisheries bycatch management. The socio-economic studies were carried out to understand the contribution of trawl fisheries to food security and livelihoods and determine the potential impacts of management measures on stakeholder groups.
Among the socio-economic information collected were the following: demographic structure of owners and crew; fishing practices – boat, gear, season, duration; catch composition, value chain and markets; contribution to livelihoods, food security and nutrition; role of women; costs and income from trawling; catch/income sharing arrangements; linkages with other sectors; and perceptions – resources, participation, compliance and the future.
The plans/initial findings of the studies were presented at the Regional workshop on trawl fisheries socio-economics held in Da Nang, Viet Nam on 26-27 October 2015. The completed studies were presented and reviewed at the Socio-economic write-shop held on 25-26 April 2016 in Cha Am, Thailand.