Co-management in small-scale fisheries does it solve any problems? Jahn Petter Johnsen Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromsø

Transcription

1 Co-management in small-scale fisheries does it solve any problems? Jahn Petter Johnsen Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromsø

2 Sources Degnbol, Paul "Fisheries science in a development context." Pp in Fisheries Development: The Institutional Challenge, edited by Bjørn Hersoug, Svein Jentoft, and Paul Degnbol. Delft: Eburon. Hara, Mafaniso, and Jesper Raakjær Nielsen "Experiences with Fisheries Co-Management in Africa " Pp in The Fisheries Comanagement Experience. Accomplishments, Challenges and Prospects, edited by Douglas Clyde Wilson, Jesper Raakjaer Nielsen, and Paul Degnbol. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Hersoug, Bjørn "Exporting fish, importing institutions - fisheries development in the Third World." Pp in Fisheries Development: The Institutional Challenge, edited by Bjørn Hersoug, Svein Jentoft, and Paul Degnbol. Delft: Eburon Jul-Larsen, Eyolf, Jeppe Kolding, Ragnhild Overå, Jesper Raakjær Nielsen, and Paul A.M. van Zwieten "Management, co-management or no management. Major dilemmas in southern African freshwater fisheries. 1. Synthesis report." edited by FAO Fisheries Technical Papers. Rome: FAO.

3 Small scale fisher

4 Co-management as middle range theories While the Tragedy of the Commons (ToC) can be seen as the grand theory of (mis) management, a core ideal type, comanagement theories are what the sociologist Robert Merton named as middle range theories closer to empirical realities.

5 Co-management in smallscale fisheries does it solve any problems? Or why is CM such a success when there are so many examples of failure?

6 Because of the legitimacy problem linked to how, where, when, what and who? Users must be involved!

7 The five dimensions of comanagement (Hersoug 2004) What the policy areas included in the regime. How the specific set up of the regime. When in a process does comanagement activities take place. Where level of management, local, regional, national, international, bi- or multi-lateral. Who the stakeholders involved.

8 Who? The fishers

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10 Others recreational fishers

11 Other Stakeholders

12 Challenge There is a big difference between well educated and well organised users and stakeholders like the Norwegian fishers and f ex. Small scale fishers in Africa.

13 How and what: Co-management definitions Some form of institutional arrangement between government and user groups to effectively manage a resource (Jentoft 1998) Sharing responsibilities (Sen and Raakjær Nielsen 1998) The right to participate in making decisions about, how, when, where, and how much fishing will occur (Pinkerton 2003)

14 Decision-making arrangements in fisheries governance (Based on Normann 2006) Low High Fisher power Government influence in decisionmaking State power User-group influence in decisionmaking Instructive Consultative Cooperative Delegated Informative High Co-governance Low

15 What is fisheries management about? The fish must be constructed into a manageable object. The relationship between this object and humans, in terms of effects of human activity on the fish must be established and measured. An institutional framework for regulation of human behaviour in relation to the fish and the society must be defined. Mechanisms for control, monitoring and sanction must be established.

16 Management vs. Governance Management is part of a wider concept called governance Governance is about the whole public as well as private interactions taken to solve societal problems and create societal opportunities. It includes the formulation and application of principles guiding those interactions and care for the institutions that enable them. Governance can be seen as the totality on theoretical conceptions on governing (Kooiman et. al Fish for life. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press)

17 The components of fisheries management Policy making Management The management system Intervention Information Social system Economic and social values The fisheries system Fish Mortality Nature The system to be managed External Factors (Nielsen, Kåre Nolde, and Petter Holm "A brief catalogue of failures: Framing evaluation and learning in fisheries resource management." Marine Policy 31: )

18 The components of fisheries management Intervention Policy making Governance and management Information The governing system Social system Interactions The fisheries system Nature The system to be governed

19 Co-management is a rational endeavor Ideally co-management should be based on existing institutions and be bottom up. In practice comanagement arrangements are results of rationalistic design, based on modern and normative ideas about relationships between nature, societies, and individuals. According to Hara and Raakjær Nielsen co-management arrangements in Africa seem to be very much government initiated and top down, as well as very little different from the centralised modern management approach. (Instructive state power) CM change the existing political, social and economic order. CM has not necessarily empowered people.

20 Where: CM-community based The assumption: The link between fishing and community is strong. The ideas behind CM: Cooperative Japanese or Asian cooperatives. Ideas from negotiating economy, mixed administration systems like the Nordic Welfare states, with strong institituionalised systems for user participation (Lofoten case).

21 In Asia, many countries have long traditions for local management, decentralisation and delegation of authority. The difference between these regimes and modern CM arrangements is the formal organising of CM arrangements based on western rationalistic concepts and ideas. CM often donor driven, and contributes to social, political and economic changes. Western concepts are not necessarily bad, but only one among many systems of ideas that can be used should to manage resources.

22 Examples of success Sharing

23 Lofoten regulating activity

24 Resource management?

25 Hara and Raakjær Nielsen 2003 and Jul-Larsen et.al No easy solutions. CM in some cases more concerned about controlling people than managing resources. Management change the social and economic order. Lack of effective regimes in African small scale fisheries but in many cases, no management has had few negative consequences on resources. Too much government can change some of the important social functions of fisheries. It is necessary to ask what and when to manage? Monitoring of fisheries necessary. Mutual adaptation and try to establish convergence between the government institutions in the governing system and the institutions in the-system-to-be-governed.

26 Degnbol 2004 Fisheries management based on formal science, purposive rationality and top down control is approaching limits in terms of cost efficiency and legitimacy. Fisheries Management in the future: Quantitative and qualitative indicators. Acknowledgement of risk and uncertainty. Not full insight into causes and effects.

27 Conclusion For solving the legitimacy problem there are few alternatives to CM-arrangements. If formal science shall and top-down approaches are necessary, we must ask: Do users need their own experts? From top-down to bottom up. CM a process of communication and learning, not a final solution.

28 Does CM solve any problems? Yes, but not as a grand theory implemented instrumentally top-down. CM must be developed through communication, mutual adaptation between management system and the-system-to-be managed.

29 Thank you!