Book Description

This document contains two papers on the role of fishermen's organizations in fisheries management. The paper by Rgnvaldur Hannesson discusses the pros and cons of giving fishermen's organizations specific roles in fisheries management . It reviews the practical experiences of groups and organizations of fishermen in fisheries management in a number of industrialized countries including Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Canada and the United Kingdom, as documented in the literature. Hannesson stresses that the outcome of giving fishermen's organizations a say in fisheries management depends crucially on the economic framework and philosophy prevailing in each country . On theoretical grounds, he contends that a pseudo-market solution, i.e., the allocation of private property rights accompanied by (i) an appropriate tax system to prevent a concentration of profits and incomes and by (ii) conditionality of transferability to avoid concentration of ownership, may best achieve the twin objectives of efficiency and equity. The paper by John Kurien sets out with a historic-cultural review of small-scale fisheries in the Indo-Pacific region. Traditionally, many communities had adopted well integrated systems of governing fishing practices and rights of access to the sea.