This research is a critical examination of the behavioral foundations of livelihood pathways over a 50-year time period in a multispecies fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Fishers make difficult decisions to pursue, enjoy, and protect their livelihoods in times of change and uncertainty, and the resultant behaviors shape efforts to advance sustainability through coastal and marine fisheries governance. However, there is limited evidence about fishers’ behavioral changes over long time periods, and the psychosocial experiences that underpin them, beyond what is assumed using neoclassical economic and rational choice framings. Our analysis draws on 26 narrative interviews with fishers who have pursued two or more fish species currently or formerly. Fishers were asked about their behavioral responses to change and uncertainty in coastal fisheries across their entire lifetimes. Their narratives highlighted emotional, perceptual, and values-oriented factors that shaped how fishers coped and adapted to change and uncertainty. The contributions to theory and practice are two-fold. First, findings included variation in patterns of fisher behaviors. Those patterns reflected fishers prioritizing and trading-off material or relational well-being. With policy relevance, prioritizations and trade-offs of forms of well-being led to unexpected outcomes for shifting capacity and capitalization for fishers and in fisheries more broadly. Second, findings identified the influence of emotions as forms of subjective well-being. Further, emotions and perceptions functioned as explanatory factors that shaped well-being priorities and trade-offs, and ultimately, behavioral change. Research findings emphasize the need for scientists, policy-makers, and managers to incorporate psychosocial evidence along with social science about fisher behavior into their models, policy processes, and management approaches. Doing so is likely to support efforts to anticipate impacts from behavioral change on capacity and capitalization in fleets and fisheries, and ultimately, lead to improved governance outcomes.

这项研究是对加拿大纽芬兰和拉布拉多的多物种渔业在50年时间内的生计途径的行为基础的批判性检验。在变化和不确定性时期，渔民做出艰难的决定，以追求，享受和保护他们的生计，由此产生的行为影响着通过沿海和海洋渔业治理来促进可持续性的努力。但是，关于渔民长期行为变化以及支持他们的心理社会经验的证据有限，这超出了使用新古典经济学和理性选择框架所假定的假设。我们的分析以对渔民的26次叙述性访谈为基础，这些渔民目前或以前已经捕捞了两种或两种以上的鱼类。向渔民询问了他们在整个一生中对沿海渔业变化和不确定性的行为反应。他们的叙述强调了情感，感性和价值取向的因素，这些因素决定了渔民如何应对并适应变化和不确定性。对理论和实践的贡献是双重的。首先，发现包括渔民行为模式的变化。这些模式反映出渔民优先考虑和权衡物质或关系福祉。在与政策相关的情况下，对福祉形式的优先考虑和权衡取舍会导致出乎意料的结果，使渔民和更广泛的渔业的能力和资本转移。其次，研究发现情感的影响是主观幸福感的一种形式。进一步，情绪和感知是解释因素，这些因素影响着幸福感的优先次序和权衡，最终决定了行为改变。研究发现强调，科学家，政策制定者和管理者需要将有关渔民行为的社会心理证据以及社会科学纳入其模型，政策流程和管理方法。这样做可能会支持预期行为变化对船队和渔业能力和资本化的影响的努力，并最终改善治理成果。和管理方法。这样做可能会支持预期行为变化对船队和渔业的能力和资本化的影响的努力，并最终改善治理成果。和管理方法。这样做可能会支持预期行为变化对船队和渔业能力和资本化的影响的努力，并最终改善治理成果。