Mixed-methods study links perceived employment opportunities to higher youth engagement in sustainable fishing, suggesting improvements in job creation are necessary.
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.
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Rashid et al. (2025) studied this question.
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