An investigation of constraints upon fisheries diversification using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Fishers in the UK face a range of administrative, economic and sociocultural challenges that influence the profitability and ultimate viability of their profession. While some fishers have responded to these challenges by diversifying into complementary activities such as tourism, marketing and retail, little is known of the constraints that deter individuals from adopting this strategy. This paper seeks to address this gap in knowledge by examining the relative importance of different constraints upon fisheries diversification using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). A survey of fishers and non-fishing stakeholders in the English Channel fishery revealed that respondents attributed similar levels of importance to the influence of administrative constraints, lack of opportunities, social constraints and economic factors; but considered lack of information to be relatively unimportant. The high level of inconsistency observed throughout the sample highlights a potential limitation of using AHP with research subjects who are unfamiliar with this technique.