A Study of Local Stakeholders’ Attitudes Vis-à-Vis the Legislation Regulating Overfishing in the Red Sea

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to explore how fishermen in the area of Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt perceive legislation regulating overfishing and marine environmental protection, as well as how they perceive the impact such legislation may have on their lives. This research sheds light on stakeholder’s perceptions (focusing on fishermen) and attitudes vis-à-vis legislation that regulates their sources of income while aiming at environmental conservation in this area. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with the aforementioned group and thematically analyzed. The findings generally include negative perceptions with a few positive ones. In light of existing literature, the discussion recommends the inclusion of the fishermen in the government’s relevant decision-making processes as well as allowing the fishermen to deliberate existing legislation that has a negative effect on their livelihood.