Behavioural Economics in Marine Fisheries Management: A Systematic Review

Targeted management interventions can influence marine resource user behaviour, yet some remain ineffective. Behavioural economics may offer valuable insights on this topic by identifying which interventions can effectively change human behaviour and how they can be applied. This systematic review (N = 140) synthesises evidence from behavioural economics studies conducted in a fisheries context. The results include a table of behavioural mechanisms and examples of evidence for behavioural interventions changing environmental, economic, and social outcomes. There is a growing body of evidence that interventions that activate mechanisms such as social norms or risk aversion can impact environmental outcomes. However, there is a general lack of explicit reporting of the link between behavioural mechanisms, interventions, and outcomes, revealing weak conceptualisation in the field. This hinders the ability of scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to derive actionable insights from the research. Furthermore, the ethics of intervening in human behaviour as well as thorough analysis of unintended consequences need significant attention. To resolve these issues and guide the field forward, this systematic review offers recommendations for both science and policy as well as a conceptual framework that can improve the design of future studies that aim to understand human behaviour in a fisheries setting.