Small-scale fisheries are vital for global livelihoods and food security yet remain highly vulnerable to environmental changes due to marginalization and reliance on natural resources. In contexts where formal governance is weak, small-scale fishers often develop self-governance arrangements (e.g. fishing cooperatives or patron-client relationships) that significantly influence their fishing behavior and resilience to environmental stressors, including climate change. However, evidence on how these social structures impact fishers’ adaptive capacity and responses to climate change impacts remains limited. Using data from 445 surveys across six communities in Nayarit, we examine the role of three self-governance arrangements (fishing cooperatives, patron-client relationships, and independent fishers) in shaping fishers’ responses and adaptive capacity to climate change. Our findings reveal widespread reliance on coping strategies, such as borrowing money and increasing fishing effort, with patrons playing a key role in providing access to economic and material assets. However, patron-client relationships exhibit low social organizational capacity, potentially undermining community cohesion. A multinomial logistic mixed model shows that both patron-client relationships and fishing cooperatives are associated with unsustainable fishing practices as adaptation strategies, suggesting risks of maladaptation. These results highlight the importance of self-governance structures in shaping fishers’ adaptive capacity, showing how different arrangements provide access to distinct economic, social, and institutional assets that influence responses to climate change. As climate impacts intensify, understanding these social structures is crucial to fostering sustainable, climate-resilient practices and safeguarding the livelihoods of coastal communities.
Elías Ilosvay X.É., Elkin S., Ferse S.C.A., Aceves-Bueno E., Tovar-Ávila J., Rentería-Bravo J., Medina Santiago I.A., García Molinos J. and Ojea E. (2026) The effects of self-governance arrangements on the climate change resilience of small-scale fisheries in Mexico. 98: 103132. 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2026.103132
@article{Elías Ilosvay2026,
Title = {The effects of self-governance arrangements on the climate change resilience of small-scale fisheries in Mexico},
Author = {Elías Ilosvay, Xochitl Édua and Elkin, Sarah and Ferse, Sebastian C. A. and Aceves-Bueno, Eréndira and Tovar-Ávila, Javier and Rentería-Bravo, Jhosafat and Medina Santiago, Irving Alexis and García Molinos, Jorge and Ojea, Elena},
Editor = {},
Year = {2026},
Pages = {103132},
Volume = {98},
Doi = {10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2026.103132},
Abstract = {Small-scale fisheries are vital for global livelihoods and food security yet remain highly vulnerable to environmental changes due to marginalization and reliance on natural resources. In contexts where formal governance is weak, small-scale fishers often develop self-governance arrangements (e.g. fishing cooperatives or patron-client relationships) that significantly influence their fishing behavior and resilience to environmental stressors, including climate change. However, evidence on how these social structures impact fishers’ adaptive capacity and responses to climate change impacts remains limited. Using data from 445 surveys across six communities in Nayarit, we examine the role of three self-governance arrangements (fishing cooperatives, patron-client relationships, and independent fishers) in shaping fishers’ responses and adaptive capacity to climate change. Our findings reveal widespread reliance on coping strategies, such as borrowing money and increasing fishing effort, with patrons playing a key role in providing access to economic and material assets. However, patron-client relationships exhibit low social organizational capacity, potentially undermining community cohesion. A multinomial logistic mixed model shows that both patron-client relationships and fishing cooperatives are associated with unsustainable fishing practices as adaptation strategies, suggesting risks of maladaptation. These results highlight the importance of self-governance structures in shaping fishers’ adaptive capacity, showing how different arrangements provide access to distinct economic, social, and institutional assets that influence responses to climate change. As climate impacts intensify, understanding these social structures is crucial to fostering sustainable, climate-resilient practices and safeguarding the livelihoods of coastal communities.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - Elías Ilosvay, Xochitl Édua
AU - Elkin, Sarah
AU - Ferse, Sebastian C. A.
AU - Aceves-Bueno, Eréndira
AU - Tovar-Ávila, Javier
AU - Rentería-Bravo, Jhosafat
AU - Medina Santiago, Irving Alexis
AU - García Molinos, Jorge
AU - Ojea, Elena
TI - The effects of self-governance arrangements on the climate change resilience of small-scale fisheries in Mexico
PY - 2026
SP - 103132
VL - 98
DO - 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2026.103132
AB - Small-scale fisheries are vital for global livelihoods and food security yet remain highly vulnerable to environmental changes due to marginalization and reliance on natural resources. In contexts where formal governance is weak, small-scale fishers often develop self-governance arrangements (e.g. fishing cooperatives or patron-client relationships) that significantly influence their fishing behavior and resilience to environmental stressors, including climate change. However, evidence on how these social structures impact fishers’ adaptive capacity and responses to climate change impacts remains limited. Using data from 445 surveys across six communities in Nayarit, we examine the role of three self-governance arrangements (fishing cooperatives, patron-client relationships, and independent fishers) in shaping fishers’ responses and adaptive capacity to climate change. Our findings reveal widespread reliance on coping strategies, such as borrowing money and increasing fishing effort, with patrons playing a key role in providing access to economic and material assets. However, patron-client relationships exhibit low social organizational capacity, potentially undermining community cohesion. A multinomial logistic mixed model shows that both patron-client relationships and fishing cooperatives are associated with unsustainable fishing practices as adaptation strategies, suggesting risks of maladaptation. These results highlight the importance of self-governance structures in shaping fishers’ adaptive capacity, showing how different arrangements provide access to distinct economic, social, and institutional assets that influence responses to climate change. As climate impacts intensify, understanding these social structures is crucial to fostering sustainable, climate-resilient practices and safeguarding the livelihoods of coastal communities.
ER -
