Zanzibar’s fisheries could absorb its growing youth cohort, yet participation lags. This mixed-methods study examined how perceived employment opportunities drive youth engagement in sustainable fishing. A questionnaire of 141 coastal youth (94 % return) produced a four-item Employment Opportunities Index (α =.81; M = 3.01) and a Youth Engagement Score (α =.83). Job attractiveness scored highest (M = 3.31), while local support rated low (M = 2.74). Chi-square tests revealed a significant link between high opportunity perception and active engagement (χ² = 8.27, p =.004); in an OLS model, perceived opportunity remained the strongest positive predictor (β = +0.41, p < .001). Twelve interviews and three focus-group discussions exposed an “aspiration–information” gap: youth imagine upgrading dug-out canoes to GPS-guided boats yet lament “silent vacancies” and onerous loan criteria. Findings suggest that job-creation schemes must be paired with real-time vacancy platforms, mentorship pipelines, and youth-tailored credit if Zanzibar is to unlock its blue-economy potential.
Rashid et al. (Fri,) studied this question.