A review on participatory multi-criteria decision-making methods for the sustainable management of fisheries

This paper presents a review on the participatory multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods applied in fisheries management. Marine fisheries are an important part of the ecosystem which are under the threat of overexploitation partly due to ineffective management measures. With a significant economic and social role in coastal communities, fisheries are an important natural resource and contributor to food security, livelihoods and
employment, export earnings, and economic growth. Fisheries have a complex multi-dimensional dynamic involving aspects related to the marine environment, social and cultural issues and a unique governance structure due their public resource nature. Hence the sustainable management of this resource requires methods that incorporate these aspects as well as the incorporation of multiple stakeholders such as fishermen, processors, NGOs, and policy makers which often have different (conflicting) preferences. This review shows how MCDM methods could be applied for different groups of stakeholders in the marine fishery sector and which set of criteria have been applied more commonly as well as highlighting the gaps that exist in the literature. Participatory MCDM techniques, especially value measurement techniques such as AHP have experienced increased application in the period between 1998-2020 and have been applied globally in single species and multi-species fisheries management.