Social resilience and resource-dependency in Queensland's commercial fishing industry (A1.2.4S)

Task leader: Ms Nadine Marshall, CRC Reef and James Cook University

Task associate: Mr J Innes, GBRMPA

Changes in legislation are a common management approach to better protect our natural resources. However, these changes may have a significant social impact on resource dependent communities. The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of how a community responds to change in resource policy, with particular reference to the commercial-fishing industry in Queensland.

Few studies have considered both the industry and community level when attempting to predict the effect that a policy change may have. Even fewer studies have looked at community resilience as a way of predicting community response. This study sets out to identify the relationship between community response to change and characteristics of both the fishers and their community. For instance, factors such as the age, education, and family size of a fisher may influence how they and their families will respond to a policy change. At the same time, community response to change may also be influenced by factors such ‘community cohesion’, ‘economic diversity’ and ability to access outside broader support networks.

In order to test the significance of various factors in affecting community response, three similar communities will be historically examined. Key community members and fishers will be asked for their perceptions of community conditions at various times over the last ~50 years. Secondary data will be obtained from census, newspapers, and other historical records.