ABSTRACT
In the past few decades, a global shift in rural employment towards noncommodity sectors has been evidenced in various societies throughout the world (Bouma et al. 1998; Bryden and Bollman 2000; Lanjouw and Lanjouw 2001). This shift is particularly dramatic in rural coastal com - munities, many of which face economic decline as a result of depletion of fish stocks and/or reduced incentives for maintaining commercial fishing (Armaitiene˙ et al. 2006; Breber et al. 2008). The attitudes of coastal communities in relation to future alternatives for commercial fishing pose serious questions to researchers. Some appreciate tourism development, recreational fishing in particular, as a major vehicle for maintaining the economic viability of coastal communities (Hale 2001; Murphy 2003); others fear that tourism development might put off economic diversification, including the complete replacement of the commercial fishing industry (Inbakaran and Jackson 2005).
