Competition for common property space: New Hampshire's recreational fishers and open ocean aquaculture development

This paper examines the opinions and attitudes of New Hampshire saltwater recreational fishers regarding regulating public access to common property for proposed aquaculture development. Using data collected from indepth. semi-structured interviews with 16 recreational fishers, I describe the fishers' current perceptions of crowding and spatial conflicts, their methods of adapting to the spatial pressures put on the commons, and their attitudes toward open ocean access and public management issues. I argue that it is the social context of informal rules on the water and the fisher's perceptions of how well these informal procedures are working, coupled with their personal strategies for managing spatial conflict, that shape their attitudes about the future development and management of public ocean spaces.