Perceptions of blast fishing enforcement impacts in coastal Tanzania

Blast fishing is one of the most damaging illegal fishing practices and continues to imperil coral reefs and coastal livelihoods across the globe. However, efforts to eradicate this practice have met with mixed success, and few studies have examined the social context of blast fishing and blast fishing enforcement, including the perceptions of those affected. In Tanzania, a resurgence in blasting between 2002 and 2016 was successfully addressed with an increase in enforcement patrols from 2016 onward. We conducted individual and group surveys with 50 fishing households and 19 fisher groups in 19 coastal villages to investigate perceptions of enforcement, economic security, normative support, and governance, which may be related to the success of enforcement efforts. Our findings show that 1) the majority of our respondents reported increased fishing-derived income and fish availability following government enforcement on blast fishing, despite ongoing resource dependence and livelihood precarity; and 2) normative support and positive perceptions of governance may have provided a supportive environment for the successful reduction of blast fishing. In the face of ongoing global efforts to control destructive fishing, our findings highlight that effective enforcement against blast fishing is met with high degree of acceptance among fishing-dependent coastal communities and can create positive impacts such as increased reported fish availability and fishing income.