Kevin Crean

Privatisation of the commons: the introduction of individual transferable quotas in developed fisheries

Abstract The failure of existing systems to achieve a sustainable equilibrium between resources and fishing effort has led to a search for alternative approaches to the management of common property resources. Individual transferable quotas (ITQs), including the allocation of fixed shares of the potential harvest among licensed vessels which may be exchanged, leased or sold on an open market, have been introduced in a handful of developed countries. The paper examines evidence from New Zealand, Canada and Iceland for common tendencies and unresolved issues. Most of the benefits claimed for ITQs are economic: increased operating efficiency, rationalisation of fleet structure, improved asset management and reduced monitoring costs for central government. The literature does little to expose the underlying moral dilemmas and the concern for social equity and balanced regional development. The paper concludes that, while their efficacy has yet to be tested in complex developed fisheries and they are unlikely to usurp other regulatory mechanisms, ITQs may have an important role to play in the development of a sustainable management strategy.

Centralised and community-based fisheries management strategies: case studies from two fisheries dependent archipelagos

Using data collected in the coastal fisheries of the Solomon Islands and Shetlands the paper compares and contrasts centralised and communitybased management systems. The research focuses on the interaction between privatised and community held access to common property resources. The research shows that the evolution of management controls and access arrangements in coastal fisheries is not a uni-directional process. Indeed the process might better be modelled as an equilibrium, sensitive to the external pressures of the global trade and overall sectoral policy.

The gentleman's agreements: a fisheries management case study from the Southwest of England

Abstract This paper assesses the unique ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ that exist between the crab fishermen of South Devon and trawlermen from the UK and other EU member states. The reasons for the success of the arrangements are discussed, particularly as the agreements apply to fisheries that are currently characterised by over-capacity, rent dissipation and non-compliance with regulations. The agreements are analysed in relation to other common-property resource-management systems, and their compatability with the principles of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is established. Finally the agreements are compared and contrasted with the concepts of subsidiarity and co-management.

Is there the will to manage fisheries at a local level in the European Union? A case study from Shetland

The failure of the command and control approach to fisheries management has encouraged governments to look for new ways of balancing the requirement to conserve fish stocks and yet maintain a flow of benefits that will meet economic and social targets. In the quest to establish a system for sustaining production in the Common Pond, the European Union (EU) has begun to investigate alternatives to the current management system. This research paper examines the problems associated with the current management regime operating in the EU in the light of alternatives for managing the fisheries. The research seeks to establish whether, given the serious problems confronting the EUs fishing industries, fishermen would be prepared to accept change and offer their ideas and support to develop an alternative management system. The research draws on the opinions of fishermen from Shetland and discusses the findings gained from interviewing key informants in conjunction with the results of an opinion survey of skippers and boat owners.

Community-level access and control in the management of Lake Victoria's fisheries☆

The fisheries of Lake Victoria have reached a critical stage in their development: catches are declining, and there is increasing evidence of hardship amongst the fishing communities. In an effort to countermand the reduction in the flow of economic benefits the lakes riparian states are collaborating with international agencies to develop a fisheries management strategy that would be based on a partnership between stakeholders. One possible area for such collaboration is via the devolution of certain access controls to fishing communities. This paper describes findings from recent research and argues that notions of access are linked to community perceptions of the resource, control over it and their own individual and collective manoeuvrings designed to retain and improve livelihoods.

The influence of boundaries on the management of fisheries resources in the European Union: case studies from the UK

Abstract The definition and reinforcement of boundaries is the first stage in the development of successful management systems for common property resources. The policy makers of the European Union (EU), when formulating the Common Fisheries Policy, opted to make relatively little use of spatial boundaries to regulate access to resources. The EU has sought to create a fisheries exploitation system that ignores sovereign claims to the resource under a property rights regime driven by ‘equal access’. The regime is regulated within a common boundary by means of controls of fish catches, limitation of fishing effort and the implementation of conservation techniques. However, as problems of fisheries management in the EU have escalated, the issue of boundaries has come to the fore. This is reflected in the activities of organisations within the industry that are developing strategies to survive the downturn in benefits flow from the fishery at local, regional and national levels. The analysis developed in the paper demonstrates the difficulties of creating a national boundary based on the concept of a 200-mile exclusive zone. At the regional level, while the boundary that relates to Shetland has created benefits for the local fishermen, it is still a weak institution. The strongest boundary is that of the crab fisheries of the western English Channel. Through the collective will of the resource users this boundary comes closest to achieving the theoretical ideal of establishing a congruence between ecosystem and governance.

Alternative management systems for the UK fishing industry

The paper considers opportunities for institutional development within the UK fishing industry that aim to engender a more meaningful incorporation of fishermens organisations within the policy system. Special attention is given to the location of responsibility within the policy process. This involves an exploration of an alternative approach to consultation and the scope for delegation of management responsibilities to fishermens organisations. Mechanisms to improve coordination among fishermens organisations and to strengthen their internal architecture are also considered. The analysis raises important questions to inform the continuing debate over the development and structure of devolved management systems, in particular regarding the assumptions underlying user participation and the representativeness, capabilities and aspirations of fishermens organisations.