Assessing the social and economic impact of small scale fisheries management measures in a marine protected area with limited data

The European Union requires that major legislative actions undergo an impact assessment (IA), but this methodology is often not adapted to policy measures in complex situations, as the coexistence of marine protected areas and small scale fisheries. The appropriateness of the IA methodology currently in use is tested on the example of a small scale fishery in a protected area in the German coast in the Baltic Sea (Fehmarn island). The impact of the fisheries management measures is first assessed using the available data and the results are then checked with the local fishermen and a producer organization representative using a focus group. Given the discrepancies identified in the focus group, additional methodologies are explored. By performing a literature review and a workshop with scientists, fishermen representatives, environmental organizations and managers, inputs from political science (the “wicked problem” approach) and philosophy of science (the NUSAP matrix) are applied to cope with the context of high uncertainty driven by poor ecological, economic and social data. This case study brings the opportunity to identify challenges as the assessment of biodiversity and potentially conflictive differences in national policy objectives under different EU policies (including the Common Fisheries Policy), in a way that goes beyond the contribution of other commonly used management tools as impact assessment and spatial planning. The usefulness of the approach resides both in a better identification of impacts on small scale fisheries and the unveiling of hidden governance conflicts that prevent the fulfilment of the objectives of policy measures.