Marine fisheries and sense of place in coastal communities in southern England: the challenge for policy makers

Urquhart, Julie and Acott, Timothy (2011) Marine fisheries and sense of place in coastal communities in southern England: the challenge for policy makers. In: 1st Marine and Coastal Policy Forum, 22-24 Jun 2011, Centre for Marine and Coastal Policy Research, Marine Institute, University of Plymouth, UK.

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Abstract

There is increasing recognition in Europe that fisheries and marine policy, such as the Common Fisheries Policy and the Integrated Maritime Policy, need to more explicitly incorporate social and cultural objectives in order to achieve sustainability of fish stocks and coastal communities. In addition to the economic impact that fisheries have, fishing is important for many coastal towns more broadly in terms of identity, place character and cultural heritage. Fishing places are influenced and shaped by regional, national, European and even international policies, with, for instance, quota restricting the species and number of fish that can be caught, or designations such as Marine Protected Areas potentially restricting areas of inshore waters which can be fished. Thus, a deeper understanding of the contribution of marine fisheries, especially the inshore sector, to sense of place provides an important resource that decision-makers can draw upon for incorporating social and cultural goals in fisheries and maritime policy.
Using case study material from coastal communities in Sussex and Cornwall, this paper explores the contribution of marine fisheries to sense of place and the importance of place identity for both local communities and related industries such as tourism. The study draws on qualitative data from interviews with a range of stakeholders, including fishermen, fishing families, residents, artists, heritage providers, tourism providers and industry representatives. We argue that fishing is important for communities not just as a means of earning a living, but is a way of life with more deeply embedded cultural relationships. The initial results suggest that, for many coastal communities, fishing is important in defining place character, community and personal identity, as well having a rich cultural heritage linked to fishing. Fishing contributes to the appeal of a place for tourism and there is an increasing interest in the provenance of fish products.

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