Wise Coastal Practices for Sustainable Human Development Forum

Why did the wise practice fail?

Posted By: Gillian Cambers
Date: Saturday, 12 June 1999, at 2:23 a.m.

In Response To: A co-management approach to artisanal fisheries / Chile and Uruguay. (Omar Defeo and Juan Carlos Castilla)

I found your EWP's very interesting and I wondered if you could provide some more information/discussion regarding the following:

1. PARTICIPATORY PROCESS

a) When the fishery was closed (April '87 to Nov.'89), was this the decision of all involved parties, or just the decision of the resource biologists?

b) How did you deal with new fishers wishing to enter the fishery during the stabilization phase?

c) How was the new management strategy, started in December '89, enforced - did the fishers enforce it themselves?

d) In your EWP from Chile, I noticed that you identified 'the perception of ownership of the resource by the fishers.' I wondered if you could perhaps expand on this idea. I have some problems with this concept of 'ownership' in the absolute sense, however, it does have some beneficial aspects such as responsibility for maintaining the resource.

2. LONG TERM BENEFIT AND SUSTAINABILITY

a) Could you provide more information re the decision in 1992 to leave the fishery as an open access system. Who took this decision and most importantly why ?? especially when it seems that there had been some stabilization of the fishery with the participation of all involved in the period December '89 - 1992. On the surface at least, this decision does not appear rational.

b) How did the fishers feel and react when the fishery collapsed again in 1992. Did this result in a total loss of confidence ?

c) What is the situation with this fishery now in 1999?

3. INDICATORS

You mentioned two possible quantitative indicators - fish stocks and quality of life of fishers - how did you measure the quality of life?

4. TRANSFERABILITY

Both your EWP's promote co-management of particular fishery resources. Surely this concept i.e. full involvement of users, government, scientists in the management of a fishery resource, is transferable ? Although obviously at the detailed implementation level, there will be major differences between areas, regions and countries. Would you care to comment ?

Messages in This Thread

• A co-management approach to artisanal fisheries / Chile and Uruguay.
  Omar Defeo and Juan Carlos Castilla
  • Why did the wise practice fail?
    Gillian Cambers
    • Successful co-management requires full involvement
      Omar Defeo

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