Sociological Study The social representations of ...

Research P roject P resentation ANA R ITA J ORDÃO F RAGA

Sociology P hD Program, FCSH-‐UNL-‐Portugal CICS.NOVA Research C entre Environmental C hange, T erritory and Development Research G roup Global Change, L ocal R esponses Working T eam Researcher o f t he Maritime P olice -‐ National Maritime Authority -‐ P ortugal

Sociological Study The social representations of Azorean artisanal fishermen on public policies for the sustainable management of the marine resources and habitats of the Biosphere Reserve Islands (Graciosa, S. Jorge, Flores e Corvo). Abstract Located in the middle of the northern hemisphere of the Atlantic Ocean, the Portuguese Autonomous Region of the Azores is composed by nine volcanic islands: S. Miguel, Santa Maria, Terceira, Graciosa, Faial, Pico, S. Jorge, Flores and Corvo. These islands belong to the Macaronesia area and extend along within an area approximately 600 kilometers (373 miles) wide and present very different characteristics in all aspects: each island has a unique natural beauty, totals of inhabitants and demographic density diverges drastically between S. Miguel or Terceira and the other islands and even the way how economic activities are organized in each island reflects local peculiarities. Four Azorean islands (the four smallest ones: Graciosa, S. Jorge, Flores e Corvo) are UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves, were solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use are being promoted. The reserves are ‘Science for Sustainability support sites’ where interdisciplinary approaches should focus on understanding and help managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity, namely by reinforcing scientific research, monitoring, training and education. Along with agriculture, fishing is a very important activity, especially in the smallest islands. Nowadays, artisanal fishery activity in the Azorean ‘Biosphere islands’ face a peculiar set of problems and challenges. In order to accomplish an effective sustainable use of these islands coastal ecosystems a new legal framework brought the awareness of the need to promote a responsible fishing in order to ensure both environmental balance and sustainable development of the professional activity, which has a very significant role in these islands social-‐ economic situation. This investigation aims to bring out the social representations of Azorean small-‐scale fishermen about public policies for environmental preservation. By adopting a ecosystemic approach on the issues of ‘deviance’ and ‘illegal fishing’, combining a field based empirical research and theoretical investigation, this study focus on the local actors perspectives about environmental challenges for Azorean Fisheries, as well on the new paradigm for governing the commons, namely by presenting both top-‐down and bottom-‐up reading itinerary of the daily reality of this activity. By understanding social dynamics at a local level, we aim to identify why illegal practices keep on happening and critically analyse the legal environmental protection measures that have a direct influence on the small-‐scale fisheries. This research develops through an itinerary which invites to a critical questioning about the need of hearing local actor’s voices and taking them into account when building regional policies with local incidence. We believe that bringing this issue into discussion is a helpful strategy to understand why fishing professionals have deviance conducts that treat the preservation of marine resources while making new sustained approaches on fisheries and environment public policies for the Azorean islands possible. This sociological approach stands on the principles of the hermeneutic-‐comprehensive attitude towards the human action and having in mind the constructivist premise about the social reality genesis, which states that social reality is constructed by social actors in a dynamic process of interactions anchored in social representations.

KEYWORDS: Social Actors, Social Representations, Public Policies, Deviance, Artisanal Small-‐scale Fisheries, Coastal Sustainable Development



The Context On the field we find evidences of the lack of compliance towards a new legal framework with concrete restrictions to fishery activity (catch methods and allowed working areas): Daily illegal fishing practices threat the success of the regional government environmental policies and local actors (fishermen and other sea users) express a strong opposition to the implementation of the marine protected areas. Local conflicts between actors (fishermen and other sea users and management actors) contribute to a misunderstanding of the core issue: vision, strategy and criteria of regional policy to the Biosphere Islands (and wider Azorean environmental policy). This study sets up in this main statement: More than 'just' an fisheries issue, this is a social problem.

Key approach concepts and references • Azorean artisanal (small-‐scale) fisheries are taken as a social-‐ecological system (SES): system of primary economic production where ecological relations dominate; social system with dense and direct coupling to ecosystems (through extraction of natural resources) -‐ K. Bruckmeier • Common pool resources management must consider local needs and conditions when establishing rules for the use of common goods, namely by ensure that those affected by the rules can participate in deciding and modifying the rules -‐ E. Ostrom • Social-‐ecological research, when based on transdisciplinarity, combining scientific and practical knowledge, theory and management, is fundamental for a 'new' sustainable society 'to achieve' -‐ K. Bruckmeier

Illegal fishing practices: sociological object of study This study assumes the issue of Illegal fishing practices as ‘deviance’: fishing practices (actions and behaviours towards fishing practices and natural resources and habitats) violate social norms (legal framework that rules fishing activity and other legal rules applied to fisheries, related with resources and habitats protection) -‐ "Humans act toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things." H. Blumer, 1969. By analysing social representations (S. Moscovici & D. Jodelet) 'behind' deviant acts, we aim to identify which motivations lay behind illegal practices and think about the following questions: Which are the local actors’ perspectives about local conflicts? How are environmental public policies understood and taken by local fishermen, in the Azorean UNESCO's Biosphere islands? This analysis is to be conducted with an integrated sociological perspective, once we sustain that sustainable development is as social process, in which context and people matter and must be considered (K. Bruckmeier). Recognizing that deviant acts are obstacles to the success of public policies, this study stands on the idea that the sustainable development of coastal communities depends on actors’ ethical bases of action.



Research 'agenda'

Theoretical (field grounded) research issues: • Fisheries as a sociological object. • Illegal fishing as a social problem. • Fisheries governance system and management dynamic. • Local Fisheries 'profiles' (technical and socio-‐economic aspects). • Socio ecosystemic transformative approach to Fisheries (opportunities for social sciences intervention, ethical responsibilities of field, participated research projects). Empirical field research focus: • Mapping the problem of illegal fishing and the lack of compliance towards environment protective measures / fishing restrictions. • Context's real 'portrait' of assumptions or motivations behind illegal practices. Published Papers and Public Comunications Presented work

Comunicação “A pesca açoriana nas ilhas da Biosfera: modus operandi e desafios às políticas públicas para a gestão dos recursos e áreas marinhas protegidas-‐ O caso da Graciosa-‐ Resultados preliminares”, Seminário de Novembro de 2016 do Laboratório de Conhecimento Interdisciplinar (LCI), FCSH-‐UNL. Comunicação “A pesca açoriana nas ilhas da Biosfera: modus operandi e desafios às políticas públicas para a gestão dos recursos e áreas marinhas protegidas-‐ A problemática da infração”, Jornadas do Mar 2016-‐ Novos Rumos, Novos Desafios, Escola Naval, Novembro 2016; Comunicação “A Pesca Artesanal Açoriana nas Ilhas Reserva da Biosfera-‐ UNESCO: Estratégia Regional para a ‘Biosfera’, Políticas Públicas para a preservação dos recursos marinhos e conflitos locais (os atores locais têm a ‘palavra’?)”, Seminário de Investigação em Ecologia Humana, Lisboa, 31 de Março de 2017, FCSH-‐UNL. Poster “Pesca Artesanal Açoriana: Esfera de investigação sociológica e contributos à intervenção local sustentada”, Encontro “Sociologia e Intervenção Local”, Lisboa, 19 de Abril, Associação Portuguesa de Sociologia.



MARE Conference 2017 “People and the Sea IX: 'Dealing with Maritime Mobilities’” (Amesterdão, 5-‐7 Julho 2017, University of Amesterdam): Paper “Artisanal fishery in the Azorean islands part of UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves: Regional strategy, legal Framework and local ‘threatening’ practices in the eyes of local fishermen.” Poster “Artisanal fishery in the Azorean islands part of UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves: Regional governance strategy, legal framework and local ‘threatening’ practices (whose voices aren’t being heard?)” Conference Panel “Social sciences and the Azores Islands: Forgotten in the middle of the ocean?”, (trabalho em equipa: organização de PhD Alison Neilson, CES Coimbra / investigadoras convidadas Ana Fraga, investigadora do CICS.Nova e Rita São Marcos investigadora do CES Coimbra).

Work to be published Article “A pesca açoriana nas ilhas da Biosfera: modus operandi e desafios às políticas públicas para a gestão dos recursos e áreas marinhas protegidas”, Publicação no Livro de Atas Jornadas do Mar 2016-‐ Novos Rumos, Novos Desafios, org. Escola Naval – Aceite com atribuição de Menção Honrosa no 2º Escalão/ Trabalhos de Doutoramento da área de Sociologia e Comportamento Organizacional, 18 de Novembro 2016. Article “Pesca Artesanal Açoriana: Esfera de investigação sociológica e contributos à intervenção local sustentada”, Revista SOCIOLOGIA ON LINE, org. e ed. Associação Portuguesa de Sociologia – Aceite em 27 de Abril de 2017. Abstract and conference presentation “Sustainability challenges for artisanal fisheries in the Azorean islands part of UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves: Local conflicts, social actors and the opportunities of a new ecosystemic approach”, International Conference on Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Boston, 18 de Agosto, ISTDST. Abstract and conference presentation “Sustainability challenges for artisanal fisheries in the Azorean islands part of UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves: What happens when fisher’s find fisheries management lacking legitimacy and resist complying?”, American Fisheries Society 147th Annual Meeting “Fisheries Ecosystems: Uplands to Oceans”, Tampa, Florida 20-‐24 Agosto 2017.

Work in progress

× Sociodemographic study about effective fisheries context in the Biosphere Islands (local impact of fishery activity, social and demographic profile of local actors involved in fishery activity, role of fishery activity for the local sustainable development of the Azorean Biosphere Islands). × Documentary Film “The Azorean Fisheries in the Biosphere Islands: actors, arts and sharing sphere”, [Dependent from financing]

