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396 A. H. Himes

review of articles and reports on the effectiveness of MPAs in general and of the marine
reserves in question.

The present study focuses on the opinions of fishers affected by the GCFR and the
EIMR. These two reserves were chosen due to the differences in creation dates, the
level of success that has been reported in each reserve as determined by the initial
objectives, and regulatory structure differences between nationally and regionally created
reserves.

A brief quantitative survey, in conjunction with qualitative unstructured interviews,
was the most practical method for data collection given constraints on time and money.
A face-to-face survey was conducted with 94 of the 147 small-scale artisanal fishers in
the villages surrounding the GCFR and in the EIMR. A second, shorter version of the
survey was conducted in the three villages within the EIMR due to the inapplicability of
some questions that were used in the GCFR survey. All data collection took place from
February to August 2001 through structured interviews in each village with the assis-
tance of technicians from the Istituto di ricerca sulle Risorse Marine e L’Ambiente (IRMA).
Due to the small size of the total and individual village populations, the questionnaire
was directed to the entirety of the artisanal fishing population instead of choosing a
subset. The category of artisanal fishers was defined from local harbormasters’ offices
which contain license records for artisanal fishers active within their jurisdiction. These
fishers are identified by the length of their boat (normally less than 10 m) and the type
and amount of gear they are allowed to use as specified by the artisanal license (e.g.,
trammel nets and fish traps).

One fisher was interviewed per boat. Typically, the interview was held with the
owner of the boat. However, on a few occasions, another crewmember was interviewed,
as the boat owner was not available. The surveys were designed to gather site-specific
data regarding the opinions about and knowledge of the management, enforcement, and
regulations that apply to the reserve. The questionnaires focused on five categories of
questions: demographics, fishing activities, reserve knowledge, legal framework, and concerns.

In addition, several informal interviews were conducted with fishers and scientists
with specialized local knowledge regarding general management of MPAs in Italy as
well as the specifics of the management histories of the GCFR and EIMR. These inter-
views were conducted using a more qualitative methodology and were designed to ex-
pand and complete information gathered in the formal survey process. The interviews
were informal and unstructured rather than adhering to a standardized format, allowing
for unanticipated local issues or knowledge that emerged during the course of the inter-
views. Sampling was opportunistic, occurring throughout the course of research activi-
ties, and used a snowball sampling method to identify members of the population with
specialized knowledge. To complement these interviews, official documents including
laws, ministerial decrees, and educational pamphlets provided to the public were used.

Results and Discussion

In the Gulf of Castellammare, a total of 68 of 115 licensed artisanal fishers were inter-
viewed. This accounts for 59% of the total population of artisanal fishers in the Gulf.
Due to lack of time or mistrust caused by previous researchers, three fishers refused to
be interviewed. The fewest fishers were interviewed in the port of Terrasini, where it is
speculated that a number of fishers have retained their fishing licenses, but have ceased
fishing activities. Therefore, the response rate of active artisanal fishing population in-
terviewed is likely to be higher than 59%. In the Egadi Islands, 25 of 32, or 79%, of all
artisanal fishers were interviewed with no refusals. Lack of data on license holders pre-
cludes formal analysis of response bias. However, except as noted below, it can be