Institutional designs of customary fisheries management arrangements in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Mexico

There are considerable efforts by governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and academia to integrate marine conservation initiatives and customary practices, such as taboos that limit resource use. However, these efforts are often pursued without a fundamental understanding of customary institutions. This paper examines the operational rules in use and the presence of institutional design principles in long-enduring and dynamic customary fisheries management institutions in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Mexico. Rather than a “blue print” for devising long-enduring institutions, this study relies on the design principles as a starting point to organize an inquiry into the institutional diversity found in customary governance regimes. Three important trends emerged from this comparative analysis: (1) despite it being notoriously difficult to define boundaries around marine resources, almost 3/4 of the cases in this study had clearly defined boundaries and membership; (2) all of the customary institutions were able to make and change rules, indicating a critical degree of flexibility and autonomy that may be necessary for adaptive management; (3) the customary institutions examined generally lacked key interactions with organizations operating at larger scales, suggesting that they may lack the institutional embeddedness required to confront some common pool resources (CPR) challenges from the broader socioeconomic, institutional and political settings in which they are embedded. Future research will be necessary to better understand how specific institutional designs are related to social and ecological outcomes in commons property institutions.     

Upgrading and exploitation in the fishing industry: Contributions of value chain analysis

This article presents a framework for fisheries sector analysis based on the literatures on global value chains (GVCs) and global production networks (GPNs). A value chain approach offers an alternative to focusing primarily on policy as an explanatory variable, by bringing into focus relations among buyers, sellers and other stakeholders as well as their institutional context. After outlining the utility of this approach, the article identifies three questions at the forefront of contemporary debates on the dynamics of GVCs and GPNs. Namely: (1) How institutional context affects distributional and regulatory outcomes; (2) The conditions under which particular institutions that limit or regulate market forces are either productive or perverse; and (3) Why and how particular markets are constituted in the ways that they are. The article then showcases some of the central findings from the case studies brought together in this thematic issue, demonstrating how they contribute to current analytic debates surrounding value chains and core substantive problems facing both fisheries and those engaged in the fishing industry.     

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     

Mapping seascapes of international environmental arrangements in the Coral Triangle

The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI), adopted recently in response to the degradation of coastal and marine environments in the Southeast Asia-Pacific’s Coral Triangle, emphasises the need for using existing international and regional fora to promote implementation. Large-scale marine initiatives, including the CTI, very often must contend with a remarkably complex institutional system. This raises the question of whether and how such complexity can be conducive to marine resources management. To answer this question, this paper aims to better understand the governance context in which the CTI was established (i.e., map governance fragmentation/complexity), and explore how such a context may support the implementation of the CTI goals (i.e., examine normative interplay). To conduct this examination, it uses an objective method that allows users to view and explore institutional arrangements through a network approach. By documenting the system of existing institutions in the Coral Triangle, the study shows that the Coral Triangle governance system is illustrative of those of international environmental governance. It involves multiple policy domains, and features different institutional arrangements and variability in terms of geographical scope and main subject matter. Such a system is complex and fragmented, marked by jurisdiction and functional overlaps. The paper suggests interplay management, such as inter-institutional learning and enhancing institutional synergy, as a promising process to promote inter-institutional coordination.     

The unintended consequences of formal fisheries policies: Social disparities and resource overuse in a major fishing community in the Gulf of California, Mexico

This study investigates the local social and fisheries impact of formal fisheries policies in Bahía de Kino, one of the most important fishing villages in terms of extraction of benthic resources in the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico. The paper focuses on cross-scale institutional interactions, describing how existing formal policies are functioning on the ground, how these policies interact with local arrangements, and how this interaction may affect the incentives of different actors towards sustainable fisheries. Besides providing lessons on how the performance of a local fishery could be improved, this paper addresses the question of whether the formal institutional structure of Mexican fishing regulations is effective in promoting responsible behavior by small-scale fishery stakeholders. It is argued that the design of the most widely used management tool to regulate access to marine resources throughout Mexico -the permit (licensing) system- provides the wrong incentives for sustainable-use. Granting secure rights to resources to those actively involved in the fishery is a necessary step for promoting sustainable fishing practices.     

Understanding divergent perspectives in marine governance in Kenya

To understand the subtle institutional conditions that underlie marine governance, beyond broad conceptualisations of property rights or pre-defined institutional designs, it is necessary to situate governance structures and human interactions within their historical and current social and political context. A two-tiered stakeholder analysis was developed to facilitate this. This analytical tool illuminates divergent perspectives between actors in two marine social-ecological systems in Southern Kenya. Investigating these differences emphasises the variety of historical contexts, social geographies, and current power relations in which different groups are situated. These historical and contextual factors mediate how groups perceive and respond to governance. They, therefore, have important implications for how institutions function.     

Institutional entrepreneurs,global networks,and the emergence of international institutions for ecosystem-based management: The Coral Triangle Initiative

This study explores the role of institutional entrepreneurship in the creation of an international agreement to radically transform management of coastal and marine resources in the Coral Triangle. It analyzes how institutional entrepreneurs develop strategies to overcome barriers to change and navigate opportunity contexts to mobilize support for ecosystem-based management. The analysis shows that institutional change depends on collaboration among several institutional entrepreneurs that have access to different networks and are supported by different types of organizations. It also shows that interplay between institutional entrepreneurship and high-level political leadership plays a critical role in institution building. Institutional entrepreneurs must therefore align their ideas of ecosystem-based management to multiple political priorities and transfer experience and social capital from previous multilateral projects. By supporting the development of new governance arenas for deliberation, institutional entrepreneurs may enhance the fit between domestic and multilateral policy making. Lastly, institutional entrepreneurship may raise critical questions about legitimacy, accountability and ownership.     

Navigating a complex policy system—Explaining local divergences in Swedish fish stocking policy

Swedish fish stocking policy constitutes an example of the disparate challenges associated with adaptive management theory and the realization thereof. The vast substantial and institutional uncertainties of the policy subsystem have previously been identified as variables that complicate the realization of adaptive policy making. The aim of this paper is to address and tentatively explain differences in regards to how these uncertainties are handled. What regional variances in Swedish fish stocking policy can be distinguished and how can these variations be explained? The empirical analysis shows that Swedish fish stocking policy consists of a wide array of different regional policies. These regional variations are explained by differences in existing implementation resources, policy beliefs and readings of formal regulations. Policy makers can decrease these divergences in two ways; they can either change formal regulations or influence available implementation resources. Both management approaches might have positive as well as negative effects on the subsystem's adaptability.     

Assessing socio-economic impacts of wave overtopping: An institutional perspective

One way to address the assessment of strategies to control wave overtopping at seawalls and related coastal defence structures is to make use of Cost-Benefit Analysis. The institutional context in which Cost-Benefit Analysis takes place influences decisions on the types of values that are taken into consideration and the subsequent selection of valuation methods. We suggest to consider Cost-Benefit Analysis in a broad institutional framework when decisions are to be made on coastal defence strategies. It is argued that the institutional context provides the rules of the game on how a balance can be found between social, economic and ecologic functions of projects that protect societies against overtopping.     

Management systems in the EU fisheries

In the different proposals about fishing resources management systems there is a trend to consider that some incompatibilities exist between forms of management (public intervention or co-management) and the use of instruments based in creating market of fishing rights. In this paper, we will try to leave behind this incompatibility by means of a new concept of management system, which distinguishes accurately the instrument from the institutional framework under which the former is applied. We can see the usefulness of our concept in the European Union fisheries management. Although there is a common policy for all Member States, the way some countries have implemented the Community Regulations has changed the institutional framework which determines the fishermen's activity. The results of our analysis become more outstanding since The Green Paper on the Future of the Common Fisheries Policy emphasises the need to share with the fishermen the drawing-up of the fisheries policy.     

When regulation fails: vendace fishery in the Gulf of Bothnia

The fishing of vendace (Coregonus albula), in the Gulf of Bothnia, is a good illustration of the presumption that institutional arrangements that are too inflexible to cope with changing ecological conditions, are unlikely to prosper. Although the vendace fishing is regulated by the State, catches have decreased dramatically, and there is a considerable fear that the resource is about to be depleted. This article discusses how the present institutional arrangement affects collective action and why political solutions seem to have failed. The vendace case illustrates that even a rather limited resource concentrated in a limited area is unlikely to be sustainably managed by top-down regulation performed by the State. It is concluded that changes in management practices that are obvious from the perspective of ecosystem management might turn out to be unfeasible, given the multi-stakeholder character of the management system. From this article it can also be concluded that resilience theory and experiences from long-enduring CPRs correspond very well with each other. Finally, it is discussed whether it is meaningful to talk about institutional, or managerial, resilience uncoupled from the ecosystem it is supposed to be managed. If an ecosystem, like the vendace, that is subject to human activity loses its resilience this would automatically indicate the socio-economic system, as manifested in management practices, has already lost its ability to adapt. Thus, social and ecological resilience are communicating vessels but not perhaps as the concept might be understood according to a popular call for increased institutional resilience in natural resource management.     

What determines the institutional performance of environmental regimes?: A case study of the Mediterranean Action Plan

Although there is fierce debate about how best to evaluate the effectiveness of international regimes, most writers regard institutional effectiveness as the best measure. This article examines the institutional effectiveness of one regime—the Barcelona Convention (or the Mediterranean Action Plan)—where there are sharply contrasting views of its institutional effectiveness. The study finds that the regime was indeed successful when created, but its contemporary institutional performance is inadequate. The article demonstrates that there is no simple answer as to whether a regime is effective; instead, in most cases it depends on the specific criteria each approach employs.     

Institutional change,fishing rights and governance mechanisms: The dynamics of the Spanish 300 fleet on the Grand Sole fishing grounds

The “Spanish 300 Fleet” on the Grand Sole fishing grounds has been one of the most important fleets in Europe for decades. This paper analyses the process of institutional change that has determined the governance mechanisms and the property-rights system in the case of the Spanish 300 fleet. It studies the centralized top-to-bottom process of institutional change that has included some relevant legal norms such as the approval of the compatibility of the vessel scrapping grants while retaining ownership of the fishing rights, the transferability of rights and lastly the implementation of ITQs in 2007, among other changes. This evolution of the governance mechanisms has facilitated the modernization and size adjustment of this fleet, which has been oversized for the fishing opportunities provided by the TACs. The paper explains how this process of institutional change has implied a reduction of the “300 fleet” to a 100 fleet while shedding light on the relationships between institutional change, governance mechanisms and the property-rights system in this case of fisheries management.     

Shifting accountabilities? Understanding the connections between national and provincial fisheries in Papua New Guinea

This paper examines the effects of fisheries decentralization strategies in Papua New Guinea. The paper assess the financial, human resources, information, and institutional mechanisms that the National Fisheries Authority uses to connect with provincial fisheries offices to show the consequences of institutional reforms. The findings suggest both intended and unintended effects, particularly in terms of shifting accountabilities and loyalty. These findings are broadly applicable to decentralization and institutional change scholars and practitioners interested in understanding how governments implement institutional change reforms and the effects of this implementation.     

Stakeholder participation in ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management: A synthesis from European research projects

In this synthesis article, we claim that institutional innovation is required for ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management (EBAFM), and that such innovation can best be achieved by engaging in a delicate process of societal decision making. Current instances of participation in fisheries shed light on the societal processes required for such institutional innovation. We apply the IBEFish analytical frame to examine findings from recent European research on participation in fisheries management at different jurisdictional levels. We distil several issues of major concern for institutional innovation towards EBAFM. These concern information management, legitimacy, social dynamics and costs, as well as aspects of cross-scale and cross-sector integration of fisheries governance.     

Institutional challenges for resolving conflicts between fisheries and endangered species conservation

Successful species conservation typically results in conflicts between wildlife protection and economic uses of natural resources as in fisheries and aquaculture. This article shows why managing these conflicts require a more comprehensive approach than currently pursued by endangered species conservation programmes. Against the background of several case studies focussing on wildlife conflicts in European waters this article derives two challenges for institutional response: First, the question of mandate—which societal actor initiates management related processes that require multiple actors to collaborate? Second, how can continuous processes of collaboration be sustained?     

Responses of the fishing sector to transitional constraints: From reactive to proactive change,Yucatan fisheries in Mexico

Most fisheries management studies have concentrated on understanding resource dynamics and have paid less attention to understanding the dynamics of those who use the resources. This situation limits the knowledge about the fisheries system as a whole and specifically about the viability of management schemes. It is vital to understand how the actors within the fishing sector (fishing firm owners/managers, fishers, fisheries managers, and traders) may respond to changes in fishing resources trends, market dynamics, and fisheries policies before they are implemented. These issues are explored in this paper by applying a longitudinal analysis of the Yucatan Mexico's fishing industry. The analysis is presented within the framework of the theory of change and coping strategies. The study primarily involved interviews during 2008 with the main owners of companies in the fishing industry and with fisheries managers and other stakeholders. Time-series catch data on the main fishing resources are also reviewed to evaluate changes across three historical periods and describe how the actors have perceived and responded to those changes. Given conditions of uncertainty in resource availability, changes in market demand and changes in institutional arrangements, the viability of traditional business and resource management practices are discussed. The analysis presents different kind of triggers that have modified the conditions of the fishing sector and had had impacts on the socio-economic–ecological system in which fisheries are embedded. The need for adaptive strategies in the whole chain of the fisheries business and resource management is stressed, given the current changes and conditions of fisheries. The discussion states a series of actions that could improve the relationships between business practices and fisheries management.     

Participatory practices in fisheries across Europe: Making stakeholders more responsible

Drawing on an EU-funded project titled “Sharing responsibilities in fisheries management” this paper assesses the institutional landscape of fisheries management in a number of European countries, with a particular emphasis on stakeholder involvement in regulatory decision-making. What are their roles and responsibilities in the chain of governance? What are the specific characteristics of each country, and what is similar and what is different as compared with other sectors? Although there is a move towards devolvement and decentralisation in some European countries, there is quite an ambivalence regarding such reforms in other countries. These differences in stakeholder involvement are partly a result of institutional traditions within each country, but also a reflection of how management authorities struggle with the dilemmas pertaining to such reforms of participatory practices. Thus, we argue that even within a reformed fisheries management system that allows greater participation of stakeholder groups, there can hardly be one European model that fits all.     

Contractual solution to the tragedy of property right in coastal fisheries

This article aims to analyze how private property regimes can co-exist with common property regimes in a coastal area. The case study shows how the dynamics of private property and common property right holders is in creating commitment to make symbiosis in resource use. This is based on a case study in two villages in West Lombok, Indonesia, where pearl-culture as a private property resource exists in a common property regime. This is a successful story in dealing with the tragedy of property rights in the country wherein established institutional arrangement is still absent. Nevertheless, this may be site specific, and fragile if there is no institutional arrangement combining formal and informal rules and involving both formal and informal authorities. To make a robust solution, multilevel solution must be considered: national, local, and community level, with reference to Japan case.     

The challenges of local governance: Gear-based fragmentation in the Dominican fishery of Buen Hombre

The Dominican fishing community of Buen Hombre is struggling to reconcile its fishing activities with the state of the coral reef ecosystem on which it depends. The ecosystem is showing signs of deterioration, and this seems to be resulting in large part because of the fishing activities of the Buen Hombre fishermen. The institutional arrangements of the fishermen themselves, and of relevant external organizations, have not kept pace with important technological and demographic changes that have affected the community. This paper presents the results of an analysis that unpacks these processes via a statistical analysis of fishermen behavior and a social network analysis of the “cofishing” network that these fishermen constitute. The statistical analysis shows that gear choice is very important in explaining the amount of fish caught, both as a direct factor and as a mediator of other factors such as membership in the local fishermen's association. The social network analysis complements this result by demonstrating that gear choice also serves to segment the fishermen into separate groups, with few direct linkages between them. The resulting gear-based fragmentation of the community is seen to have negative implications for the ability of the fishermen to act collectively to conserve their fishery. The paper concludes with some thoughts and suggestions for how the community might move forward, including expanding the membership of the fishermen's association and strengthening ties between fishing groups as well as ties between the community and relevant governmental agencies.