2.3.2 Methods
a) Performance analysis survey at the district level
The villages studied were on the islands of Seram, Ambon, Haruku and Saparua. Interviews
took place in the period of July-September 1997. In each of the 22 villages in the performance
study, 15 heads of fishing households were interviewed. The data collected from 30 heads of
fishing households in each of the six case study villages were also included. Questions in the
performance study were designed to elicit numerical values for indicators of efficiency, equity
and sustainability (Table 2.6).
The values for each indicator are based on the perceptions of fishers using a self-anchored
ladder scale (Pomeroy et al. 1996). This standard tool provides ordinal data, which allows
statistical analysis. Fishers were asked to answer questions using a picture of a ladder with
ten rungs as a visual aid. The lowest rung represented the worst possible condition; the tenth
rung represented the best. Fishers pointed to the rung that in their opinion represented past
(15 years ago), present and future (15 years ahead) conditions. The aim was to record fishers’
perceptions of current conditions, change through time and the degree of optimism for the
future. There were 15 questions in all. In addition, base-line data were gathered from each
respondent, i.e., name, age, religion, etc. Also, the people’s economic status was recorded by
noting what type of boat, fishing gear and house he or she owned.
Assessment of equity and efficiency of marine resource management
In terms of fisheries management, equity may be equated with the democratic process, i.e., the
level of involvement of fishers in decision-making. Equity is also a matter of fair access to marine
resources and the means of production (capital, fishing gear, etc.). We therefore measured the
perceptions of fishers towards their role in decision-making, their access to fisheries resources,
distribution of the means of production as well as economic equality in their village.
Partnership in designing fisheries rules, i.e., the degree to which people are able to make a
decision together, is one indicator for an efficient fisheries management system. The degree
of control over the fishery, either directly, or indirectly through the village government, is
another. It is difficult to discuss equity in management without also dealing with efficiency.
This is because efficiency is in some ways the opposite of equity. Highly inclusive, democratic
processes can be very inefficient in terms of time and money.
The ease of access to resources in terms of costs and compliance to fisheries rules are indicators
that define efficiency from the resource user’s point of view. In an efficient management system,
there is a high level of compliance without exorbitant costs either to fishers or managers.
Compliance may result from active participation in management or may be related to the
legitimacy or actual power of authority figures.
Access control and an effort to share resource benefits can support production systems that
are less efficient in terms of profitability (although arguably more sustainable) than centralized,
large-scale systems. In modern management circles, the balance between maximizing short-
term profits and maximizing employment (fair access) in a fishery is a classic example of the
tension between efficiency and equity. In seeking a balance, the legitimacy of decision-makers
in the eyes of the stakeholders is a key factor.
18 An Institutional Analysis of Sasi Laut in Maluku, Indonesia