The impact of community-based fisheries management (CBFM) on equity and sustainability of small-scale coastal fisheries in the Philippines

It was realized that with the increasing rate of deterioration of fisheries resource in the Philippines, there was no way the country could pursue a pathway of sustainable development. After enactment of the Local Government Code of 1991, the government actively promoted community-based fisheries management (CBFM) to conserve the coastal resources. The increased attention paid to community-based fisheries management has come about through experience of the poor performance of other approaches and through the study of traditional systems of community management of natural resources which have not only survived but also appear to perform better than the alternatives. This paper presents the results of a study to assess the impacts of CBFM projects in the Philippines, using meta-analysis, on the equity and sustainability of small-scale coastal fisheries. The outcomes indicate a positive impact of CBFM on the equity of both involvement in management and benefit sharing and sustainable management of fisheries resources through the investigation of effective magnitude (effect size) based on eight indicators. The positive summary effect sizes of participation, influence, control, access, and income conjunctly portrayed an improved equity in the fishing community by implementing CBFM. The positive summary effect sizes of compliance and conflict indicated an affirmative community and, therefore, sustainable fisheries management. While the negative summary effect size of resource revealed the difficulties in recovering fish abundance in a relatively short period of time. Also, ten years of implementation of CBFM was discovered as the minimum duration with perceived equity and sustainability improvement for most indicators.     

Social capital, community based management, and fishers’ livelihood in Bangladesh

This paper examines the impact of Community Based Fisheries Management (CBFM) on fishing households’ welfare in Bangladesh. It analyses how the various types of livelihood assets contribute to fishers’ household incomes. The study found that fishers in CBFM project areas have improved their access to different assets including social, human, physical, financial and natural capitals. The regression results show that social capital contributed significantly to household income, indicating that social factors play very important roles in poverty alleviation in Bangladesh. Future poverty alleviation policy options need to give priority to investments in human, physical and natural capital assets.     

Who benefits from fisheries co-management? A case study in Lake Chiuta,Malawi

The fisheries management policy shift towards resource user participation in Malawi in the early 1990s resulted in mixed benefits among small-scale fishers, with many applauding the changes. This paper considers the impacts of these policy changes on government and within the fishing communities around Lake Chiuta whose fisheries co-management experience is considered successful. Benefits to the communities range from gaining government support in excluding non-local fishers using destructive fishing gear to increased household incomes and improved livelihoods, while benefits to government range from taking credit for establishing a sustainable fishery and co-management arrangements to reduced resource management costs. Community costs include financial resources and time spent by resource user representative organisations in enforcing fishing regulations. These findings enable a more balanced assessment of neoliberal claims about the benefits of delegating management responsibilities and downloading costs of management onto fishing communities and organisations.     

Strengthening post-hoc analysis of community-based fisheries management through the social-ecological systems framework

Community-based fisheries management (CBFM) is held up as one of the most promising approaches for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries. Yet, the complex features that shape CBFM outcomes remain inadequately understood. In part, this stems from the fact that few community-based projects meet the data requirements for formal impact evaluations. Given this context, diagnostic approaches are increasingly seen as a frontier for strengthening CBFM analysis and securing small-scale fisheries sustainability. This study explores the capacity of Elinor Ostrom's social-ecological systems (SES) framework to strengthen post-hoc diagnosis of CBFM. It draws on data from published and grey literature (including field notes, meeting minutes, and project reports) generated throughout an eight-year CBFM project in five Solomon Island villages. Results suggest that successful CBFM outcomes were facilitated by effective information sharing, harvesting rules that merge traditional and contemporary practices, strong leadership, and resource monitoring, while uneven power differentials undermined positive outcomes. The paper argues that the SES framework can add analytical rigour to post-hoc analysis when it used to: 1) engage with temporal dynamics that shape CBFM processes; 2) integrate insights from plural theories, and 3) explore interactions between multiple CBFM outcomes. Ultimately, the paper argues that diagnostic applications of the SES framework can contribute towards conducting more systematic analysis of diverse CBFM data, improving CBRM practices, and realizing more sustainable small-scale fisheries     

Small-scale marine fisheries policy in Vietnam

Vietnam's marine fisheries are considered to be small scale and are concentrated in coastal near-shore waters. This has resulted in heavy pressure on near-shore fisheries resources. Near-shore fisheries are considered by fishers and the government to be over-exploited, causing hardship for many coastal communities. This paper reviews and analyzes changes in policy towards small-scale fisheries in Vietnam over the last two decades. The primary issues facing the small-scale fisheries in Vietnam are to restructure the near-shore fisheries and to address over-capacity. Recommended actions include improved fisheries statistics, resources for provincial fisheries staff, and a coordinated and integrated approach involving a mixed strategy of resource management; resource restoration; economic and community development; and new governance arrangements.     

Administrative aspects

In an article published in Marine Policy a year ago, (Lynne and Brian Chatterton, ‘How much political compromise can fisheries management stand’, Vol 5, No 1, April 1981), it was argued that management of South Australian coastal fisheries reflected the political ideology of the government in power, rather than the biological and socioeconomic imperatives of the resource. In the first article below, A.M. Olsen, former Director of Fisheries, criticizes the Chattertons' conclusions, maintaining that fisheries should be managed by professionals not politicians and that many of Brian Chatterton's problems during his tenure as Minister of Fisheries were of his own making. In the Chattertons' response, they point out that by allocating management of the resource between various vested interests (including government bureaucracy) a minister is making a political decision. In the third article, R.D. Walkerden, a former Permanent Secretary to Fisheries Ministers in South Australia, offers an administrator's view of the controversy. Detailed and parochial as some of the points at issue appear, the debate provides an illuminating view of some of the ideological and organizational conflicts that can hinder the effective management of a coastal resource.     

The Chattertons reply

In an article published in Marine Policy a year ago, (Lynne and Brian Chatterton, ‘How much political compromise can fisheries management stand’, Vol 5, No 1, April 1981), it was argued that management of South Australian coastal fisheries reflected the political ideology of the government in power, rather than the biological and socioeconomic imperatives of the resource. In the first article below, A.M. Olsen, former Director of Fisheries, criticizes the Chattertons' conclusions, maintaining that fisheries should be managed by professionals not politicians and that many of Brian Chatterton's problems during his tenure as Minister of Fisheries were of his own making. In the Chattertons' response, they point out that by allocating management of the resource between various vested interests (including government bureaucracy) a minister is making a political decision. In the third article, R.D. Walkerden, a former Permanent Secretary to Fisheries Ministers in South Australia, offers an administrator's view of the controversy. Detailed and parochial as some of the points at issue appear, the debate provides an illuminating view of some of the ideological and organizational conflicts that can hinder the effective management of a coastal resource.     

Criticism from former director of fisheries

In an article published in Marine Policy a year ago, (Lynne and Brian Chatterton, ‘How much political compromise can fisheries management stand’, Vol 5, No 1, April 1981), it was argued that management of South Australian coastal fisheries reflected the political ideology of the government in power, rather than the biological and socioeconomic imperatives of the resource. In the first article below, A.M. Olsen, former Director of Fisheries, criticizes the Chattertons' conclusions, maintaining that fisheries should be managed by professionals not politicians and that many of Brian Chatterton's problems during his tenure as Minister of Fisheries were of his own making. In the Chattertons' response, they point out that by allocating management of the resource between various vested interests (including government bureaucracy) a minister is making a political decision. In the third article, R.D. Walkerden, a former Permanent Secretary to Fisheries Ministers in South Australia, offers an administrator's view of the controversy. Detailed and parochial as some of the points at issue appear, the debate provides an illuminating view of some of the ideological and organizational conflicts that can hinder the effective management of a coastal resource.     

Recommendations for the management of subsistence fisheries in South Africa

This paper summarizes recommendations for the management of previously marginalized and neglected subsistence fisheries in South Africa. The recommendations stem from the activities and analyses of a task group appointed by Government and mandated to provide advice about management of the new fishing sector. The following focus areas were identified for attention: planning for implementation; definitions of subsistence fishers and other sectors; assessment and categorization of resources; determination of types of fishing activities; zonation; management systems; training; communication mechanisms; application and allocation procedures; compliance processes; research and monitoring; development of institutional capacity. Subsistence fishers were defined as poor people who personally harvest marine resources as a source of food or to sell them to meet basic needs of food security; they operate on or near to the shore or in estuaries, live in close proximity to the resource, consume or sell the resources locally, use low-technology gear (often as part of a long-standing community-based or cultural practice), and the resources they harvest generate only sufficient returns to meet basic needs of food security. A second group of informal fishers was identified that fishes for profit but cannot be equated to large industrial fisheries, and a new sector was proposed to accommodate these artisanal "small-scale commercial" fishers. Resources were classified for use by these different sectors based on accessibility, fishing methods, cash value and sustainability. In all, 12 different categories of subsistence and small-scale commercial fisheries were identified, and a preliminary list of resource species suitable for different fishing sectors is presented. A multi-tiered institutional management structure is recommended, with the national agency (MCM) controlling issues of national concern, and supporting and coordinating the activities of provincial and local structures. The management agents required for effective implementation were identified and include a dedicated national Subsistence Fisheries Management Unit, provincial management agencies that have the capacity to be delegated authority, Regional Fieldworkers, an independent Advisory Group for Subsistence Fisheries Management, local co-management structures, and community monitors responsible for observing and recording fishing activities and catches. Co-management, involving both authorities and users in joint management, is advocated in preference to previous top-down approaches, because of its potential to improve communication and compliance.     

Perceptions of subsistence and informal fishers in South Africa regarding the management of living marine resources

Following the legal recognition of subsistence fishers in 1998 through the promulgation of the Marine Living Resources Act, a Subsistence Fisheries Task Group (SFTG) was appointed by national government to provide recommendations on the management of subsistence fishing in South Africa. To achieve effective management, the SFTG recognized that fishers' needs, perceptions and concerns must be understood and incorporated into future management strategies. As a result, information from fishers was gathered through a five-month research programme that included questionnaire surveys, focus-group meetings, a "roadshow" and a national workshop. Research findings indicated that the fishers' responses centred on four key themes related to (1) the criteria for defining a subsistence fisher, (2) current management practices, (3) resource use and (4) livelihood strategies. Feedback from fishers revealed several issues that have led to uncertainty and dissatisfaction among informal and subsistence fishers. However, these perceptions need to be contextualized within the historical circumstances of fisheries management in South Africa, and it must be recognized that attitudes will only change when management approaches embrace the needs, perceptions and concerns of the users. The information outlined in this paper was instrumental in guiding the formulation of the SFTG recommendations regarding the definition of subsistence fishers and their future management in South Africa.     

Community-based management of near-shore fisheries in Vanuatu: What works?

In the Pacific, coastal communities have compensated for chronically low capacity of governments to manage fisheries by implementing local regulations in their marine tenure areas. In order to investigate the performance of community-based fisheries management (CBFM) in Vanuatu, trajectories and factors of change in CBFM systems since the 1990s were analysed. Focal group interviews were conducted in seven villages on Efaté island in 2011 and supplemented by a review of supporting literature. Results reveal the increasing and excessive reliance of CBFM systems on external agencies that promoted overly complex management plans. Examination of trends in CBFM systems shows that community and national fishing rules that were highly acceptable by local societies were more likely to be enforced in the long run. In particular, the establishment of marine reserves was the most widespread and best enforced community rule for the purposes of conservation, ecotourism, and/or fisheries. Overall, the results challenge the current effectiveness of CBFM in achieving sustainability of reef fisheries in Vanuatu, and highlight the over-reliance on small marine reserves as a management tool. Community initiatives must be strengthened by new specific national regulations governing subsistence and commercial reef fisheries as part of a multi-scale co-management approach.     

A new (old) approach to inshore resources management in Samoa

Increasing populations and development in many of the small Pacific Island nations have placed heavy pressures on coastal environments and on inshore fisheries. The population of Samoa, in the Southwestern Pacific, has increased 5–6-fold in the past 150 years. Wetlands, lagoons and coral reefs have been seriously degraded because of inappropriate land-use and fisheries practices and recent catastrophic cyclones, and many fish and invertebrate stocks have declined in the past 10–15 years. A research program was established in 1990 to determine the status of the coastal and inshore environments, to monitor inshore subsistence and commercial fisheries, to determine the status of stocks, and to identify potential management actions. An inventory of inshore resources was produced using aerial photography and ground and underwater surveys. Fisheries catch and effort were established through a national census, questionnaire surveys in households and schools, and creel and market surveys. A major aid program was commenced in 1995 by the Australian government (AusAID) to assist Samoa to establish an effective inshore fisheries and environment management program. A key strategy was the devolution of powers in inshore fisheries management back from the national government to the villages and local fishers. A culturally appropriate co-management model was developed and tested, and has now been adopted by many villages. An inshore fisheries extension capability was developed within Samoa's Fisheries Division to assist villagers to undertake their own environmental and fisheries surveys; identify major factors affecting fisheries; identify ways of reducing these factors; establish an agreed (between village council and national government) plan of management and regulations; and establish their own fisheries management bodies. By the end of 1997 the Inshore Fisheries Extension Service had been established and trained; 26 villages had entered the co-management program and established their own plans of management; and 20 fisheries reserves had been established. The techniques for inshore environmental and fisheries assessment and management developed for Samoa are applicable, with appropriate modification, to subsistence fishing communities elsewhere in the South Pacific.     

Developing underutilized fisheries: Oregon's developmental fisheries program

Oregon's Developmental Fisheries Program is designed to encourage the commercial exploration and development of State managed underutilized fishery resources. A key program strategy is allocating relatively secure harvest rights to pioneering entrepreneurs when a fishery successfully transitions from “developing” to “developed” status. Since the program's inception in 1993, two fisheries, sardine and bay clam, have moved from undeveloped to developed status. Case studies of these fisheries show that many challenges impact the success of the Developmental Fisheries Program including difficulties in designing and allocating asset rights, establishing operational program guidelines, selecting measurable targets that meet legislative standards for a developed fishery, and financing developmental fisheries management practices. Developmental fisheries strategies used in other regions and countries are summarized. Recommendations are made for improving Oregon's Developmental Fishery Program including establishing clear objectives and timelines for the Program and identifying appropriate renewal requirements for permits and other developmental incentives on a fishery-by-fishery basis.     

Including coastal resource users in fisheries management evaluation of San Miguel Bay, Philippines

This paper examines an approach that integrates the judgment and perceptions of coastal resource users in prioritizing the criteria and indicators for fisheries management impact evaluation. Five criteria with corresponding indicators were identified and selected namely, acceptability, biotic diversity, economic performance, enforceability, and equity. The weights of importance of criteria and indicators were determined through the Analytic Hierarchy Process applied in a case study with 23 resource user groups (categorized as fishers, local government unit, non-government organization, private sector and women) in San Miguel Bay, Philippines.The results of this study revealed that overall, acceptability is the most important criterion in evaluating the impacts of fisheries management strategy in San Miguel Bay, especially for the local government units and fishers groups. The best measure of acceptability criterion are the indicators resource users participation in fisheries management process, level of awareness of resource users in fisheries resource management and number of fishers who belong to an organization. Ten groups have consistency ratios between 0.0 and 0.08 which are within the acceptable level of 0.10. Conversely, most groups (78%) have consistency ratios less than 0.26. Also, the results of the preference analysis are remarkable because among the representative groups, most fishers groups exhibited consistencies in their judgments (average consistency ratios of 0.06-0.08). Economic performance indicators were consistently judged across groups indicating that individuals present higher convergence of views toward economic objective.     

Participatory methodology used for sea urchin co-management in Barbados

This project aimed to develop co-management of exploited marine fishery resources in Barbados using the sea urchin fishery as a test case. The approach was to work with stakeholders, primarily the fishers, to establish a co-management mechanism that could be operated by the fishers themselves with technical and advisory support from the Fisheries Division. The project used Technology of Participation (ToP) methodology, developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA). ToP methods used included Focused Conversation and Participatory Strategic Planning. To our knowledge, this methodology has not previously been applied in small-scale fisheries co-management. Fishers involvement was developed in stages: identification of groups of fishers in communities and a contact person for the group; dialogue with individuals and the small groups; discussion in larger groups to derive approaches to management; and full group participation to reach consensus regarding the most appropriate approach to management. Key persons identified in communities helped organize meetings to discuss the sea urchin fishery. From these community meetings, individuals were selected to take part in the strategic planning. Two vision meetings with separate groups of fishers, produced similar results. These groups were combined at a planning meeting, where fishers examined the blocks to achieving the vision, developed strategies to overcome the blocks, and an action plan to implement the strategies. Fishers and government officials concluded that the methodology had successfully facilitated the input of both parties and produced a workable, consensual approach.     

The structure and evolution of the coastal migrant fishery of Kenya

The current study was carried out over a period of one year to characterise the coastal migrant fishery of Kenya. The study looked at gears and vessels used, and ownership, demographic factors including ages of the fishers and family sizes, migrant activity and resource conservation at two main fishing villages in Kenya; Vanga and Mayungu in the south and north coasts, straddling at 4.663°S and 39.215°E and 3.214°S and 40.135°E respectively. Further, the fishers were categorised with regard to fishing, gear and vessel operation and trade, and evolution upon entry into the fishery was also assessed in order to define fisher-stake in the fishery for resource management and conservation planning. Structured questionnaires were used to interview the fishers, and data and information recorded from 1018 fishers during the survey. Migrants accounted for over 63% of the fishers in the two study sites, with majority of the fishers lying in the 15–45 year age bracket. Dependence level averages at 4–6 person families per fisher. Entry to the fishery was mainly at seamen level, progressing to fishermen and finally to fish dealers (tajiris), with the latter holding >62% capital in the fishery. Resource management in the fishery was low and only 10% of the fishers were active participants in marine conservation and community beach management issues. Fisher migrations were mainly monsoon season-linked (>58%) although social factors such as family location determined to a great extent the expanse of the migrations. The revival of fisheries cooperatives and active participation in community resource management and conservation groups is envisaged as the key to the sustainability of both the marine resources and the economies associated with this high mobility, cross-border fishery.     

Fisheries science and sustainability in international policy: a study of failure in the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy

Within the European Union, scientific fisheries research and advice is passed down a chain of central European institutions before being incorporated into policy. However, advice is often poorly or only partially implemented and the system has largely failed to achieve sustainable fisheries management.This paper aims to explain why, by examining the use of fisheries science within the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The problem is examined with respect to both the political system and fisheries science, to show that the factors in both the supply, and the subsequent use, of scientific data inhibit effective fisheries management.     

Fiji’s fisheries: their contribution to development and their future

The industrial fisheries of Fiji have had mixed fortunes. The fresh fish export industry has grown rapidly in importance so that fisheries is now the third most valuable export industry; its positive effect on the economy is mainly in the increase in the purchase of goods and services, such as air freight. The present ‘hands off’ policy by government in the fresh fish export industry should continue until the industry matures. In the longer run, ad valorem royalties should be considered as a mean of capturing resource rents. The government-owned export cannery has been in financial decline, and the maintenance of the social benefits of regional employment generated by the cannery has come at a high cost to government coffers. The future of the cannery, now leased to a private operator, is clouded by the uncertainty of the continuity of concessional access to European markets beyond the year 2000. The main task faced by government is the management of fisheries and fish stocks. The management of the inshore fisheries — vital to the needs of a large proportion of the population — needs additional resources. The capability for management of the industrial fisheries, necessary to maximise long term public benefits, would be enhanced by full cost recovery through a user pays policy. This article is based on a paper presented to the Fiji Update seminar, held at the National Centre for Development Studies, the Australian National University, Canberra, on 19 June 1998. The author wishes to thank Mr Krishna Swamy, Senior Fisheries Officer in the Fiji Fisheries Division, and Mr Grahame Southwick, Managing Director of the Fiji Fish Company Ltd, for their generous provision of information for the preparation of this paper; and Mr Joeli Veitayaki, Coordinator of the Ocean Resources Management Programme, University of the South Pacific, for helpful comments. Any errors or omissions are the author’s responsibility, however.     

The incorporation of traditional knowledge into Alaska federal fisheries management

Fisheries policy and management processes for federal waters off western Alaska currently lack consistent and considered integration of traditional knowledge (TK), TK holders, social science of TK, and subsistence information. The incorporation of these into fisheries work can lead to more informed, equitable and effective policy and management practices. This paper includes information and recommendations derived from previous work by the authors as well as from two community workshops with indigenous TK holders and fisheries experts. Discussions of TK and related concepts, TK research in the Bering Strait and Yukon River regions, and Alaska federal fisheries management-related institutions and processes as pertains to TK are presented. Substantive recommendations are provided for improving processes, increasing tribal representation, capacity building, effective communication, outreach and relationship-building, the incorporation of indigenous concerns and values, and regarding the development of a Fisheries Ecosystem Plan for the Bering Sea.