Marine Protected Areas Intensify Both Cooperation And Competition
DURHAM, N.C. -- Marine protected areas generate both extreme cooperation and extreme competition among fishers.
These are baskets of freshly caught fish in Baja California. Commercial fishers engage in friendly rivalry to see who can catch the most fish. Credit: Xavier Basurto, Duke University
When these behaviors remain in balance, they can lead to better conservation of marine resources, according to a Duke University-led international study by researchers at three institutions. However, if competition among fishers increases while cooperation declines, it could threaten the long-term survival of marine protected areas (MPAs), their biodiversity and the communities that depend on them.
"In Baja California, Mexico, you have these towns where the people have been fishing for generations; fishers are friends to one another and help each other at sea, but at the same time compete with each other to see who catches the most," said Xavier Basurto, assistant professor of sustainability science at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment.
Previous studies have considered the impacts of only one behavior or the other, but the new research demonstrates that they are not mutually exclusive.
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