Page 10 - Himes_2007

ARTICLE IN PRESS
338 A.H. Himes / Ocean & Coastal Management 50 (2007) 329–351

Table 2
Respondent identification of the most important threats to local resources
Primary category Secondary category
Resource extraction Overexploitation Modernization
Fishing (recreational and commercial) Petroleum mining
Pollution Noise from ferries Vessel discharge
Garbage left on beaches Boat discards
Inadequate/insufficient management Lack of enforcement Bad organization
Insufficient regulations Regulations too restrictive
Lack of management Lack of funding
Lack of political support
Lack of community value Local disinterest Ignorance of tourists and locals
Lack of awareness Lack of local benefits
Lack of community involvement
Illegal activities Trawling Boating in no-entry zones
Pirating
Boat traffic Shipping traffic Ballast water exchange
Recreational boating Anchoring
Environmental degradation Extinction of fish species Irresponsible construction
Overuse of local habitats
Tourism Mass tourism Diving

frequently, is expected to significantly affect the local fish resource base. Fishers also
mentioned a variety of other threats including fishing in general, overexploitation, other
illegal activities, trash, noise pollution, discharge, boating, lack of enforcement, bad
organization, insufficient regulations, environmental degradation, and shipping ballast
water exchange (Table 2). It should be noted that all of the threats that fishers noted are
either directly or indirectly related to the health of local fish stocks that the fishing sector is
dependent on.
Tourism, maritime traditions and the marine environment are the most important
resources for local residents of the Egadi Islands. A significant percentage of the local
economy is based on the summer tourism season; without it, the local community would
surely undergo significant economic hardship. Moreover, local maritime traditions,
specifically annual tuna fishing rituals and the artisanal fishing industry and consequently
the environment in which they are based, are at the core of the local culture and have
provided the backbone of the community for hundreds of years. Due to the importance of
these resources, local residents have become aware of many recently strengthening threats
that could damage them. The most important threats to them are pollution, excessive
resource extraction, mass tourism, and inadequate management of the MPA; however,
many also note that trawling and environmental degradation are causing serious harm to
the local marine environment. Local residents identified pollution as a threat more than
any other, and, incidentally, twice that of any other group.
Researchers and the MPA’s managers are outsiders to the local community and thus are
expected to have a more wide-ranging view of what local resources are important and what