Conflict Between Conservation and Livelihood: Gender‐Specific Impacts of a Fishing Ban on Erhai Lake, China

ABSTRACT Fishing bans are an important regulation for fishery management, but the gender‐specific impact of fishing bans has rarely been studied on traditional fishing communities. We aimed to quantify how women and men from a traditional Bai fishing community around Erhai Lake, China, were affected by a year‐round fishing ban implemented in 2017. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods, we quantified gendered impacts of the fishing ban on various aspects of life. The fishing ban excluded women from fishing and also decreased their household income, which increased women's burden to manage household finances. Poorer women were affected more than better‐off women because they had fewer resources. Men fishers indulged in mahjong gambling to release their stress during the fishing ban, thereby increasing women's stress. Our findings highlight the importance of intersectional gender analysis and coping strategies of fishers when analyzing socioeconomic effects of fishing bans.