A Pilot Study of Small Craft Harbors in Nova Scotia, Canada: Examining Livelihoods Associated with These Facilities

Abstract

In Canada, small craft harbors (SCHs) are a federal government responsibility under Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). SCHs are economic centers for many rural coastal communities in Canada. By studying the role of SCHs on livelihoods one can delineate their importance to the users and community. The pilot study utilized semi-structured telephone interviews to speak with 19 participants from Nova Scotia, Canada. Participants included users and harbor authorities on whether the SCH they use or manage impacts their livelihood or community. Results indicate SCHs provide an essential avenue for users and communities to support their livelihoods. However, the degree to which they were essential varies between SCHs. SCH users have sufficient capital assets (financial, natural, human, social, and physical) to use the facilities. However, several participants indicated they lack funds from the federal government to maintain their SCHs. Therefore, two critical hindrances in supporting prosperous livelihoods were funding from the federal government and SCHs that lack access to a harbor authority.

Keywords:

• commercial fishery
• communities
• livelihoods
• Nova Scotia
• small craft harbors (SCHs)

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the 19 participants whose involvement made this research possible.

FundingFunding for this research was provided by the Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship, School for Resource and Environmental Studies Legacy Scholarship, and the Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s.

Notes

1 Commercial SCHs primarily house commercial fisheries. Recreational SCHs refer to non-commercial fishing activities such as pleasure boating. At some commercial SCHs there is a recreational presence. Usually, recreational users pay a fee to use the facilities.

2 The SCHs with contact information were listed alphabetically and separated into their respective Fisheries and Oceans Canada category and separated between core and non-core harbors in a spreadsheet with their contact information. The website random.org, which generated a number based on the input range, randomly selected what SCH to contact (Randomness and Integrity Services Ltd. n.d.).

3 There were only two participants in this category and they spoke about the same SCH. These two participants were the only ones to speak with since the fishers were hesitant to take part in the research.