Potential for conflicts in recreational and artisanal billfish fisheries on the coast of Kenya

The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region is home to several species of billfish that are important ecologically as top predators and as a source of local livelihoods both within and outside the country's borders, thus targeted by multiple resource user groups. However, little attention has been paid to the characteristics of recreational and artisanal billfish fishers, and the potential conflicts that may arise in shared fishery resources in the Western Indian Ocean. Our paper examines the characteristics of recreational and artisanal billfish resource users, particularly the factors that often can lead to potential conflicts. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a total of 130 recreational and artisanal fishers at two study sites along the Kenya coast. We identified three primary drivers of potential conflict: perception of billfish as an open access resource, the competing uses, and internal and external issues related to fisheries governance. Some potential conflicts including social, ecological, governance and economic conflicts are discussed. These findings provide key insights about the complexities of multiple resource user groups and governance in exacerbating fisheries conflicts in this resource system. The findings also highlight the need to develop strategies to decrease conflicts, such as fisheries co-management, in the light of multiple billfish resource user groups and the species' ability to traverse various transnational boundaries.