Fisheries Co-Management and Governance Practices

Fisheries co-management and governance practices encompass collaborative frameworks in which resource users, governmental bodies and other stakeholders share authority and responsibility for the stewardship of aquatic ecosystems. Originally conceived as an alternative to exclusively centralised or privatised management, co-management seeks to harness local knowledge, enhance compliance, and foster adaptive capacity through participatory decision-making. Key elements include clearly defined rights and responsibilities, mechanisms for conflict resolution, and institutions that span scales from local communities to national agencies. Co-management models range from consultative arrangements to delegated or cooperative regimes, each with varying degrees of power sharing and resource control. Contemporary governance emphasises equity considerations, striving to redress historical imbalances by ensuring fair representation and benefit distribution among fishing communities. Furthermore, the integration of social and ecological data underpins adaptive management, allowing practices to evolve in response to environmental change and socio-economic pressures. Globally, co-management has been credited with improving stock assessments, curbing overexploitation and bolstering community resilience, yet challenges persist in the form of elite capture, inconsistent legal frameworks and fluctuating political commitment. Practical applications demonstrate the importance of robust institutional design, inclusive participation and cross-scale coordination for sustainable fisheries governance.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Fisheries Co-Management and Governance Practices publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in fisheries co-management and governance practices across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Co-management: A collaborative governance approach whereby responsibility and authority over resource management are shared between government entities and resource users.

Common-pool resource: A natural or human-made resource system characterised by difficulty in excluding beneficiaries and subtractability of use, such as fisheries stocks.

Adaptive capacity: The ability of governance systems to adjust practices and institutions in response to ecological and social changes.

Elite capture: A situation where influential individuals or groups dominate decision-making processes and capture benefits at the expense of broader community interests.

Decentralisation: The transfer of decision-making authority and management responsibilities from central government to local or regional bodies.

References

1. A systematic review of co-managed small-scale fisheries: Social diversity and adaptive management improve outcomes. Global Environmental Change (2018).
2. Participation, Power, and Equity: Examining Three Key Social Dimensions of Fisheries Comanagement. Sustainability (2018).
3. The Local Turn: an Introductory Essay Revisiting Leadership, Elite Capture and Good Governance in Indonesian Conservation and Development Programs. Human Ecology (2016).
4. Documenting fisheries co-management in action: Case of the Grand Cape Mount County Co-Management Association, Liberia. Marine Policy (2023).
5. Democracy and Human Rights in the Management of Small-Scale Fisheries in England. Sustainability (2023).
6. Understanding the dynamics of fish politics: The role of diverse actor interactions in transformations towards co-management. Environmental Science & Policy (2021).