The status of fishery cooperatives along the Aegean Sea coast (Turkey)

作者：Unal V^*; Yercan M; Gunden C

来源：Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 2011, 27(3): 854-858.

DOI：10.1111/j.1439-0426.2011.01794.x

P>The objective of this study was to document the present status of fishery cooperatives on the Turkish Aegean Sea coast while at the same time exploring membership expectations and overall involvement of the fishery community in the cooperative sector. To achieve this goal, a survey assessed 92% (n = 56) of the Turkish fishery cooperatives in the Aegean region. Using cluster analysis, the cooperatives were divided into three groups based on six of their provided services. Group 1 provided a good level of services; the number of members per cooperative was relatively low in this group, but the cooperatives fulfilled most of their objectives. Group 2 consisted of the youngest cooperatives and had the highest number of members per cooperative, with one-third of the members relying on fishing as their sole income; cooperatives in this group were the least able to provide services to their members. Group 3 consisted of the oldest cooperatives with the highest number of fishery-dependent members; cooperatives in this group were the most able to provide services and to meet members objectives. After grouping the cooperatives, a Tobit model was used to determine factors affecting the membership ratio. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test was run to verify that the variables conformed to normal distributions, and the Kruskal-Wallis test compared the different groups. Results showed that the ages of the cooperatives and the existing government policies regarding fishery cooperatives and conflicts among members had significantly negative effects on membership ratios whereas periodic changes in the management board had significantly positive effects. These results will be useful for decision makers in designing suitable policies for the better management of fishery cooperatives.

• 出版日期2011-6