Economic impact of marine protected areas: a study of small scale fishermen in Dungun, Terengganu

The purpose of this study is to examine the economic impact of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) on the well-being of fishermen in Dungun, Terengganu. The study uses primary and secondary data. The primary data were gathered through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire with boat owners and government officials responsible in managing the MPAs and fishery-related
matters. Secondary data such as fishermen‟s name list, number of vessels, list of boat size and type of fishing gear according to jetty were collected from the Department of Fishery (DOF) and the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM). Descriptive analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), reliability analysis and regression analysis are used to achieve the objectives of the study. The findings show that the income of fishermen using a boat size of
more than 21 gross register tonnage (GRT) are significantly higher than those using a boat size of less than 20 GRT. Fishermen using traps as their main fishing gear have significantly higher income than those using hooks and lines, drift nets and purse seine nets. Most fishermen, regardless of the size of their boat and the type of fishing gear claimed that MPAs do not give much benefit to them in terms of increasing their fish catches. The finding of the study reveals that a majority of the fishermen agreed that there is no indication that the MPA in Pulau Tenggol increases the quantity of fish around the MPA. A majority of the fishermen also agreed that coral reefs are important resources that act as a buffer against tidal
waves. A healthy coral reef provides protection for the reproduction of fish stocks. However, the existence of coral reef protected areas provides more benefits to the tourism industry as compared to the fishermen communities.