Hunters, Trappers, and Gatherers of the Sea: a Comparative Study of Fishing Strategies

Abstract

This study is a comparison of fishing strategies in three areas: the Newfoundland offshore fishery, the inshore salmon fishery of British Columbia, and an oyster fishery of Cornwall, England. From the Newfoundland fishery, a model was developed to account for differences in risk-taking by fishing captains. The model specified relations between reward structure, technology, and environment that influence captains’ evaluations and, hence, decision-making.The model was then tested in the other fishing contexts. The results indicate that the situational approach to risk-taking can be used for the problem of understanding short-term production strategies. This particular model, however, requires the addition of an historical dimension in order to adequately account for decision-making in all three fisheries.