3.2.3 Introduction of measures to enhance motivation
At the beginning of fishery resource management activities, participants’ interest is high; however, after a while, they may start to tire of the activities. In particular, if the results of resource management activities are not immediately visible, it becomes difficult to maintain participants’ motivation. Therefore, it is important to introduce measures to strengthen the motivation of those involved to continue the activities to continuously revitalise resource management activities.
Therefore, what can maintain and improve the motivation of leaders and members of resource management organisations and other fisheries stakeholders? Motivation comprises the following elements: willingness (desire), drive (reason for action), and feeling to act (emotion). When the reason for an action that increases desire is satisfied (clarified), the emotion increases. The following is an explanation of how motivation is enhanced.
Increase willingness.
One of the most important factors that motivate people to do something is the desire for recognition or the desire to be recognised by others and the world. For example, having an opportunity to make a presentation at a public meeting, getting appreciation by receiving an award, appearing on television or in a video to show what people do, or having a picture or name on a poster or in a publication can all make people feel recognised by others or society around them and increase their desire.
Explaining activities to people from other communities and foreign visitors and sharing their experiences and knowledge with them are also opportunities to increase commitment. These regular opportunities will help to keep people motivated. It is necessary to create mechanisms to keep the people involved motivated by continuously doing what can be done within the scope of an activity’s budget.
31. Annual ceremony for spawning octopus pots in Mbour
Every year, in the department of Mbour on the Petite-Côte region, when the octopus pots are launched, a ceremony is organised and stakeholders in the fishery, administrations, sponsoring companies, and other people concerned are invited. The ceremony includes singing and dancing by community members and a speech by the Minister of Fisheries. At the 2020 ceremony, the Minister of Fisheries and representatives of fisheries resource management organisations gave speeches and fishermen and children loaded pots of octopus for spawning onto the fishing boats of each community. The event was broadcast on Senegalese television.
Link from YouTube
Clarify the reason for action.
The drive (reason for action) is about understanding and being convinced of why people engage in fishery resource management activities. If you are not fully convinced of the purpose of the activity, the reason for the action is unclear and people will not be motivated. For example, when a rule is made that gill nets must be 10 cm or larger, if fishermen understand that not catching immature fish will improve future catches and that catching only large fish at high unit prices will increase their current income, they will be clearly motivated to follow the rule and their ‘willingness’ will increase in favour of the resource management activities.
One way of clarifying resource users’ motivation to engage in fishery resource management activities is through participatory research,1 where fishermen and researchers work together at the site of fishing activities. For example, in response to the above-mentioned rule that the mesh length of gillnets should be 10 cm or larger, results of operations with gillnets of 10 and 5 cm size can be compared experimentally and the results verified by researchers and fishermen together, which can provide an opportunity for resource users to be convinced of the appropriateness of resource management activities. This clarification of motivation is effective in increasing the understanding of participants at the time of developing a resource management plan (see below) and in developing the resource management plan agreed upon by resource users.
However, offenders can ruin all activities. For example, in the case of gillnets, one person using a 5 cm mesh net can catch more fish than others. If the offending operation is not stopped immediately, fishermen who want to increase their income will commit the same violation. This is negative motivation for resource management activities, resulting in mesh length regulations no longer working and resource decline. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen monitoring and control activities to prevent negative motivations.
28. Procedure for participatory research
a) Participatory research topics should be identified with fisheries resource management organisations and fisheries stakeholders by seeking cooperation from research organisations or universities. Research topics that lead to the restoration and preservation of target resources and increased value-adding through the improvement or modification of current technologies are desirable.
b) The collaborating research organisations work with resource management organisations and fisheries stakeholders to develop a research plan, obtain a budget, and clarify the role of each party.
c) The collaborating research organisations, in collaboration with resource management organisations and fisheries stakeholders, conduct research in accordance with the plan and disseminate research results to stakeholders in fishing villages.
d) It is important to encourage the participation not only of fishermen but also of resource management organisations and fisheries stakeholders in the whole process, from the identification of research topics, the implementation of the research, the analysis of the results, the identification of actions to take, and their inclusion in the resource management plan, and to provide opportunities for these people to increase their willingness to participate in resource management activities.
32. Participatory research on fishing efforts in capturing groupers
At Joal on the Petite-Côte, immature fish represented 90% of the total grouper catch. It was therefore deemed necessary to reduce the catch of immature fish. First, the target fishers who caught groupers on longlines met and agreed to reduce the catch of immature grouper. As a concrete measure, it was hypothesised that the catch of immature fish could be reduced by changing the current hook size and participatory research was conducted by CRODT and the fishermen to scientifically test this hypothesis.
Create a mechanism for sustaining motivation.
Fisheries resource management organisations clarify the motivation that increases the willingness for fisheries resource management activities and consider a mechanism to motivate participants to act. Resource management organisations inform the target community of their planned motivation-building measures, obtain a budget in cooperation with the administration, and develop an activity plan. Based on the budget and activity plan, resource management activities are prepared and monitored according to predetermined criteria and the results are shared with stakeholders. Motivation-building measures such as rewards for excellent performance are applied.
29. Introduction to assessment and certification systems
- ・Evaluation system with awards: For example, a ‘Fish Day’ could be set as a commemorative day to honour those who have excelled in fisheries resource management activities or groups that have conducted comprehensive quality control in the presence of the Minister.
- ・Certification system: To raise awareness of resource management activities, a certification system could be introduced which will classify participants in activities as beginners, intermediate, and advanced levels, according to their participation rate, financial burden, and contribution to resource management.
33. Campaign of releasing baby cymbium to reinforce communities’ motivation
The management of octopus resources spread throughout the Department of Mbour and became known as a successful example of community-led co-management of fishery resources. On the other hand, the resource management of cymbium was unsuccessful because it did not last. As a result, by 2022, both the catch of cymbium and the size of cymbium landed decreased significantly. As lessons of resource management activities were not widely adopted, communities had little motivation to engage in cymbium resource management. The JICA project COPAO adopted a 14-month campaign from May 2022 to July 2023 to release juvenile cymbium in several areas simultaneously. This was a means to motivate community members to engage in resource management for cymbium.
1. Participatory research is a series of research activities in which researchers and fishers cooperate to conduct science-based resource management by studying the ecology of resource management target species and other issues necessary for resource management activities in or around fishing villages, depending on the research topic, and obtaining results.