Data from: Fishing for food: values and benefits associated with coastal infrastructure

While there is substantial literature about the socio-cultural characteristics and values associated with recreational and commercial fisheries in the U.S., studies directed at those who ‘fish for food’ - those who depend on consuming their catch to various degrees - are relatively sparse. We define ‘fishing for food’ to include aspects that go beyond traditional definitions of ‘subsistence’ or ‘recreational fishing’, considering food security and access, as well as the less obvious socio-cultural motivations behind the activity. Using qualitative data collected through 80 semi-structured interviews with fishers in the summer and fall of 2018 in Carteret County, North Carolina, this study aims to better understand the group of recreational fishers who consume their catch by describing social and cultural dimensions and values associated with fishing for food, examining the role of infrastructure in facilitating access to benefits associated with this activity, and, and considering how knowledge of existing licensing regulations surrounding subsistence license waivers affect this fishing community. Interviews conducted at free public fishing structures in the region revealed that fishers derive a variety of values and benefits from fishing at these sites, including access to recreation, nutrition, a social community, and mental health benefits, which were found to be negatively impacted by Hurricane Florence in September 2018. We also found an informal economy of sharing catch on- and off-site that extends the reach and benefits facilitated by public infrastructure to people beyond those using it directly. This study tracks the provision of a public good that is otherwise unmeasured, and examines how this community of fishers may be overlooked by fisheries management. These findings are a compelling rationalization for the creation and maintenance of formal and informal fishing places locally and, by extension, in other coastal areas, given the array of benefits provided by access to these types of locations.

尽管美国学界已积累了大量关于休闲渔业（recreational fisheries）与商业渔业（commercial fisheries）的社会文化特征及相关价值的研究成果，但针对“为食捕鱼（fishing for food）”群体——即不同程度依赖食用自身渔获物的人群——的相关研究仍相对匮乏。本研究将“为食捕鱼”的范畴拓展至传统“生计捕捞（subsistence fishing）”或“休闲捕捞（recreational fishing）”的定义之外，纳入粮食安全与获取途径，以及该活动背后不易被察觉的社会文化动机。本研究于2018年夏秋季在北卡罗来纳州（North Carolina）卡特里特县（Carteret County）开展，通过对当地渔民的80次半结构化访谈（semi-structured interviews）收集质性数据（qualitative data），旨在更深入地认知以食用自身渔获为目标的休闲渔民群体：具体包括刻画为食捕鱼相关的社会文化维度与价值、评估公共基础设施（public infrastructure）在助力获取该活动相关收益中的作用，同时考量现有针对生计捕捞许可豁免（subsistence license waivers）的监管规定对该捕鱼社群的影响。研究团队在该地区的免费公共捕鱼设施开展访谈，结果显示渔民从这些作业点位可获得多重价值与收益，包括休闲娱乐途径、营养补给、社交社群支持以及心理健康益处，而2018年9月的佛罗伦萨飓风（Hurricane Florence）对上述收益造成了负面影响。此外，研究团队还发现了一套在点位内外共享渔获的非正规经济模式，该模式将公共基础设施所赋能的收益覆盖范围拓展至非直接使用该设施的人群。本研究对一项此前未被量化的公共物品（public good）供给情况进行了追踪，并探究了渔业管理（fisheries management）体系可能忽视该渔民社群的现状与成因。鉴于此类点位可为使用者提供丰富多元的收益，本研究结果为在本地乃至其他沿海地区设立并维持正式与非正式捕鱼作业点位提供了极具说服力的理论依据。