Coastal fishermen’s attitudes toward exit policies and factors influencing their willingness to participate in Zhejiang, China

The depletion of global fishery resources poses significant challenges for resource users and policy-makers. To address these challenges, many regions, including China, have introduced exit policies aimed at supporting coastal fishermen in exiting the declining fishing industry. This study focuses on Zhejiang Province, a region that has implemented one of China's most comprehensive exit policies, and examines the attitudes of coastal fishermen toward these policies. Using data collected through focus group discussions and semistructured interviews with 67 key stakeholders, including active fishermen, former fishermen, government officials, and fisheries professionals, this study reveals critical insights. Although most fishermen acknowledge the importance of resource conservation and generally support the goals of the exit policies, 82 % of active fishermen perceive significant shortcomings in these policies, and over 70 % indicate that under the present framework, they have no intention of leaving the industry, primarily because of concerns over livelihood security. Specifically, they cite insufficient compensation, unappealing reemployment support, and issues of policy fairness as major barriers to exit, which significantly undermines their willingness to participate in the policies. Additionally, the persistence of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities is perceived to weaken the ecological effectiveness of the policies. The findings underscore the importance of designing inclusive, participatory, and fishermen-centered exit policies. Ensuring the active engagement of stakeholders, particularly fishermen, in policy formulation and implementation is crucial to achieving the dual objectives of ecological conservation and socioeconomic development. The lessons learned from this study provide practical guidance for other regions facing similar overfishing challenges and offer valuable insights for the development of sustainable fisheries management policies worldwide.