Attitudes of recreational fishers to marine reserves

Abstract

The process of the setting up of marine reserves in New Zealand, by the Department of Conservation (DOC), has been hindered by the consistent opposition from local recreational fishers. This opposition has been previously explained as the NIMBY 'not in my back-yard' principle where local fishers object to restrictions on areas that will encroach on their personal behaviour. This research investigates the attitudes of recreational fishers to marine reserves, specifically the proposed Kapiti Island Marine Reserve, and how aspects of the recreation experience relate to these attitudes. Fifteen subjects were interviewed to gain an insight into the issues surrounding the proposed marine reserve. This was quantified by the responses to 77 questionnaires. Respondents were randomly selected from three sources: the Kapiti boating club; the Waikanae boating club; and non-boating club members approached on Paraparaumu Beach. All of the subjects were required to have fished off the Kapiti Coast at least once. Local recreational fishers are more likely to oppose the Kapiti Island Marine Reserve as proposed than the concept of marine reserves in general. This thesis explores a variety of explanations for this finding including the relative importance of the issues identified by fishers, the NIMBY principle and the constraints on an individual's freedom of choice affecting their 'recreation experience'. Although safety issues play some role in explaining opposition from fishers, the concerns raised by recreational fishers when asked about the proposed Kapiti Island Marine Reserve do not significantly explain the lack of support for the proposal. Evidence suggests that the NIMBY principle does influence the opinions of recreational fishers to marine reserves. There is some indication that the attitudes of recreational fishers can be explained in terms of the recreation experience. This paper proposes two theories. Firstly, that the summation of individual satisfactions of the fishing experience does not necessarily equate to the total satisfaction of the overall experience. Secondly, the freedom to choose is an essential element of the fishing experience. Implications for research and the future establishment of marine reserves are explored.