Fisheries management has for a long been struggling with the opposion of fishermen against any attempt to reduce fishing pressure. What makes the situation complicated is that the underlying reasons do not seem monetary: minorty of fishemen would change occupation even if similar income would be quarateed, suggesting the profession offers other, unfinancial benefits. However, marine fishing is risky in many ways, both in terms of accidents and income, so that it would be expected to generate stress, i.e. be not that satisfactory. The mismatch was investigated in
Pollnac RB, Poggie JJ (2008) Happiness, well-being and psychocultural adaptation to the stresses associated with marine fishing. Human Ecology Review 15:194-200.
The authors discovered that the reduced perception of risk among fishermen is related to personality type that can be characterized as being active, adventurous, aggressive and courageous. Partly, they suggest, these traits may be genetically regulated, and they generate certain kind of addiction to risky work. From a point of view of a fish fishermen’s passion to their work may be problematic: non-monetary satisfaction related to fishing can push a fishery beyond maximum economic yield and increase the chance of overexploitation, as the fishermen refuse to leave fishery even though their incomes are declining.
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Hmmm. John’s going to be asking for portraits of fishermen now, isn’t he?
So, if fishermen have to be “active, adventurous, aggressive and courageous” to do their job not only for the money then I wonder what personality type(s) ecologists would have, they doing their job not only for the money, either…