Research Proposal Seminar - Coral Lozada

Seminar
Starts
November 28, 2018
11:00 am
Ends
November 28, 2018
12:00 pm
Venue
Harte Research Institute
Conference Room 127
6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412

COASTAL AND MARINE SYSTEM SCIENCE PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY - CORPUS CHRISTI

SUBJECT: Motivating Factors of Continued Participation in Risky Behavior by Small-Scale Fishermen in the Yucatán

This project seeks to explore determinants of risk behavior and risk perceptions among small-scale fishers in the town of Sisal, a coastal town in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, by using historical ecology and gender analysis in risk perception. The project hypothesis is that gender and perceptions of masculinity play a role in adoption of risky fishing behaviors, specifically with sea cucumber fishing. Sisal was selected as the most suitable location for this study, because it is the first town in the peninsula to hold that had permits for sea cucumber fishing, a fishery that has seen a dramatic boom in the last couple of years. Although studies have long shown that risk perception differs by gender, gender has only recently been considered when it comes to risk perception studies in fisheries (Gustafsod, 1998; Jackson & Pearson, 2005; Jost et al., 2016; Moghadam, 2015, Barclay et al., 2017; Kawarazuka et al., 2017). Qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and participant observation will be used along with historical ecology techniques. Expected outcomes are a description of risk perception and preferences of small-scale fishermen, identification of possible motivating factors behind risk taking activity, and determining viable alternatives or safety precautions.