Journal of Scientific Research and Reports

Fisheries cooperatives are considered one of the most effective means of developing the fisheries sector and improving the living standards of poor fishermen. The current study maps research output on fisheries cooperatives during 1941–2023 using data retrieved from the Dimensions AI database, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. A total of 310 publications were used for this investigation to evaluate the scientific productivity in the selected subject area. Thematic analysis was also used to review the global research landscape in fisheries cooperatives. Global publication shares, rankings and developments in research and bibliometric indices such as overall citations and average citation per paper were also analysed. In continent-specific publications, Asia ranked first (73.87%); in country-specific publications, Japan ranked first (26.13%), and within India, Kerala (20.59%) has the highest number. The journal Marine Policy (4.19%) carried the highest number of research papers. However, important gaps remain, particularly the under-representation of geographical regions. The thematic analysis revealed that studies predominantly focused on marine societies. Among all the studies, the principal areas of focus included the role of cooperatives and challenges (30.38%), socio-economic and financial analysis (29.75%), governance and management (26.58%), sustainability and conservation (7.59%), gender/women empowerment (3.48%), and technology integration (2.22%). Overall, this study highlights the importance of growth dynamics in fisheries cooperatives and identifies future research areas. These findings provide valuable insights for enhancing research efforts in this area, which may help improve the performance of these societies and support their development.