Artisanal fishery in Ecuador. A case study of Manta city and its economic policies to improve competitiveness of the sector

The artisanal fishery industry in Manta, Ecuador, is one of the city’s most important economic activities, employing thousands of people. However, many internal problems may affect the sector in terms of competitiveness. This study assesses stakeholders’ perceptions of competitiveness variables and their effects on implementing economic policies in an approach that differs from those of previous works that address the issue from other perspectives. This study identifies the differences among stakeholder perceptions and the implications for—and impacts on—the creation of policies. A perception-based study was conducted in a sample of 1348 respondents, including among fishers, merchants, and boat owners, who evaluated a group of variables from a competitiveness matrix based on Porter’s extended diamond methodology. Merchants have better perceptions of the competitiveness variables’ contributions, while the factor condition is the most notable, highest-scoring variable in the study of respondents’ perceptions. The study reveals the need to improve the relationship between stakeholders and government institutions to create accurate policies for the sector in the future. •Merchants have better perceptions about the contribution to competitive advantage regarding competitiveness variables.•Perceptions differ in terms of the type of activity developed in the artisanal fishery industry.•Factor conditions are the most important variables to achieve competitive advantage from the stakeholder´s perspective.•The current implication of the public sector represents a weakness for the competitiveness of the sector.•The implementation of new economic policies will improve the artisanal fishery situation in the future.