Fisher participation in the territorial use rights of China's small-scale fisheries: Social capital and perceived value theories

Abstract

This study investigated the factors that influence small-scale fishers' willingness to participate in a fishery management system grounded in territorial use rights in fisheries in China. Using the stimulus-organism-response model and partial least-squares structural equation modeling, this research examined how social networks, trust, norms (components of social capital), and functional, emotional, and cognitive values (dimensions of perceived value) influence small-scale fishers' participation willingness. The study found significant positive effects of social networks, trust, and norms on fishers' willingness to participate, with path coefficients of 0.437, 0.231, and 0.201, respectively. Likewise, functional, emotional, and cognitive values positively influenced participation willingness, evidenced by path coefficients of 0.243, 0.269, and 0.254, respectively. Additionally, social networks were crucial in enhancing perceived value, especially influencing functional and cognitive values (path coefficients of 0.495 and 0.574, respectively). However, social trust's effect on functional value and social norms' influence on emotional value were not statistically significant. These findings highlight the importance of considering the comprehensive effects of social capital and perceived value in developing and applying small-scale fishery management strategies based on territorial use rights in fishing (TURF). Enhancing social networks and norms, along with elucidating the system's multifaceted values within fishing communities, can boost small-scale fishers' participation and system efficacy. This preliminary investigation identified factors affecting small-scale fishers' willingness to engage in TURF-based management in China, offering empirical support for the future development and implementation of such management systems. Future research should study the regional diversity of small-scale fisheries to identify the broader applicability of these findings and integrate economic conditions and environmental factors into analyses.