Locally sustainable resource extraction activities, at times, transform into ecologically detrimental enterprises. Understanding such transitions is a primary challenge for conservation and management of many ecosystems. In marine systems, over-exploitation of small-scale fisheries creates problems such as reduced biodiversity and lower catches. However, long-term documentation of how governanc...

Wealth ranking in given field sites can be problematic for a number of reasons. This article explores the usefulness of Guttman Scaling and AnthroPac software in such contexts, using a small fishing community on the northern coast of Ecuador as an example. The author provides a step-by-step description of procedures for implementing and analyzing Guttman Scale methodology and discusses the issu...

Catch rates from 1991 to 2004 for white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) and blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) from the small scale fishery off La Guaira, Venezuela (a billfish hot-spot) were standardized by Generalized Liner Model techniques. The index of weight of fish per number of sets was estimated from dressed weight of marlins caught and reported by port sampling in the fishing community of Pl...