Authors:
Manoj Shivlani1, Vernon R. Leeworthy2, Thomas J. Murray1, Daniel O. Suman3, Flavia Tonioli3
1Thomas J. Murray & Associates, Inc.
2NOAA, National Ocean Service, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
3University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
This research is part of the Socioeconomic Research & Monitoring Program for the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), which was initiated in 1998. In
1995-96, a baseline study on the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of proposed
FKNMS management strategies and regulations of commercial fishers, dive operators
and on selected environmental group members was conducted by researchers at the
University of Florida and the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Atmospheric
and Marine Science (RSMAS). The baseline study was funded by the U.S. Man and the
Biosphere Program, and components of the study were published by Florida Sea Grant
and in several peer reviewed journals. The study was accepted into the Socioeconomic
Research & Monitoring Program at a workshop to design the program in 1998, and
workshop participants recommended that the study be replicated every ten years. The 10-
year replication was conducted in 2004-05 (commercial fishers) 2006 (dive operators)
and 2007 (environmental group members) by the same researchers at RSMAS, while the
University of Florida researchers were replaced by Thomas J. Murray & Associates, Inc.,
which conducted the commercial fishing panels in the FKNMS. The 10-year replication
study was funded by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program.
The study not only makes 10-year comparisons in the knowledge, attitudes and
perceptions of FKNMS management strategies and regulations, but it also establishes
new baselines for future monitoring efforts. Things change, and following the principles
of "adaptive management", management has responded with changes in the management
plan strategies and regulations. Some of the management strategies and regulations that
were being proposed at the time of the baseline 1995-96 study were changed before the
management plan and regulations went into effect in July 1997. This was especially true
for the main focus of the study which was the various types of marine zones in the draft
and final zoning action plan. Some of the zones proposed were changed significantly and
subsequently new zones have been created.
This study includes 10-year comparisons of socioeconomic/demographic profiles of each
user group; sources and usefulness of information; knowledge of purposes of FKNMS
zones; perceived beneficiaries of the FKNMS zones; views on FKNMS processes to
develop management strategies and regulations; views on FKNMS zone outcomes; views
on FKNMS performance; and general support for FKNMS. In addition to new baseline
information on FKNMS zones, new baseline information was developed for spatial use,
investment and costs-and-earnings for commercial fishers and dive operators, and views
on resource conditions for all three user groups. Statistical tests were done to detect
significant changes in both the distribution of responses to questions and changes in mean
scores for items replicated over the 10-year period.
Key Words:
Socioeconomic monitoring, knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, management strategies, regulations, commercial fishers, dive operators, environmental group members, marine zones, spatial use