Development of a scale to measure fishers’ attitude towards responsible fishing

The right to fish carries along with it an obligation to do fishing responsibly which is the fundamental principle of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (FAO-CCRF). There exist challenges in implementation of responsible fishing practices globally and hence appropriate communication, knowledge mobilisation and education across stakeholders are to be encouraged to achieve effective fisheries management systems. Understanding the attitude of fishers is important in achieving the goal of conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. Attitude act as the determinant of converting covert behaviour into overt action. It is rooted in motivation, which provides a meaningful background for individuals’ overt behaviour. Perspective of fishers with respect to sustainable fishery systems is an important aspect to be studied in fishery governance. To measure this psychological construct, we need to use, standardised scales. There is no standardised scale available for measuring attitude of fishers towards responsible fishing. This paper discusses the development of Responsible Fishing Attitude (RFA) scale using Likert type scale development methodology. Conceptual dimensions of responsible fishing were delineated for attitude statement generation. The final Likert scale was having 13 statements with moderately high reliability and validity and can be administered to respondents on a 5-point continuum. Keywords: Fishery extension, Likert scale, Responsible fishing, Scale development