Socio-economic impacts of a closed fishing season on resource-dependent stakeholders in Tamil Nadu, India: Differences in income and expenditure effects by occupational group

Abstract Resource use restrictions often disproportionately impact the most vulnerable stakeholders. This research aims to understand how conservation policies – particularly harvest restrictions – affect different segments of resource dependent populations. Through an examination of a closed fishing season in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, India data was collected over three seasons on resource-dependent and independent stakeholder groups’ incomes, expenditures, smoothing mechanisms and livelihood enhancement preferences. While regulated harvest-sector stakeholder groups are heavily impacted by the regulation as expected, the results indicate that it is actually the less politically powerful within this group that are disproportionately impacted. Additionally, those individuals in allied professions, outside of the harvest sector and excluded from fisheries management decisions, are also heavily impacted by the closed season. The acceptability of livelihood enhancement options offered to affected individuals is impacted by both gender and cultural constraints. The results highlight distributional equity concerns stemming from a resource management decision and bring attention to the cultural considerations that must be taken when developing viable alternative livelihood options for short and long term relief.