Community-Based Management of Small-Scale Fisheries
Summary
Community-based management of small-scale fisheries entails a governance approach in which local fishers and coastal communities take primary responsibility for regulating fishing activities, conserving marine habitats and ensuring sustainable livelihoods. Rooted in traditional knowledge and collective decision-making, this model often features locally agreed rules, spatial zonation and occasional no-take zones, supported by informal or formal institutions such as fishing associations or locally managed marine areas. By embedding management within the social and ecological fabric of a locality, practitioners aim to bolster resilience to over-exploitation, foster stewardship and secure food and income sources. While community-led measures can deliver rapid, context-specific responses, their long-term success frequently hinges on integration with state, non-governmental and market actors to address external drivers such as population growth, migration and global commodity demand.
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Community-Based Management of Small-Scale Fisheries publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in community-based management of small-scale fisheries across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Community-based management (CBM): A governance system in which local resource users design and enforce rules governing access and use of fisheries.
Locally managed marine area (LMMA): A defined coastal zone under co-management by community groups and supporting organisations to conserve marine resources.
Collective action: Coordinated efforts by a group to achieve shared objectives, such as controlling fishing effort or enforcing regulations.
No-take zone (NTZ): A spatial management tool where all extractive activities are prohibited to allow ecosystem recovery.
References
- Long‐distance Friends and Collective Action in Fisheries Management. Conservation Letters (2024).
- A longitudinal governance analysis of a locally managed marine area: Ankobohobo wetland small-scale mud crab fishery, Madagascar. Marine Policy (2024).
- Linking seagrass ecosystem services to food security: The example of southwestern Madagascar’s small-scale fisheries. Ecosystem Services (2022).
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