Diving for shellfish- and data: incentives for the participation of fishers in the monitoring and management of artisanal fisheries around southern South America

PARMA, A.M.; ORENSANZ, J.M.; ELÍAS, I.; JEREZ, G.

Towards Sustainability of Data Limited Multi-Sector Fisheries.

Fisheries Occasional Publications.

Lugar: No Informado; Año: 2003; p. 8 - 31

The conventional approach to fisheries management requires reliable estimates of stock size and fishing targets, and strong compliance with fishing regulations. Lack of data and poor enforcement are widespread among small-scale coastal fisheries, especially those that target spatially-structured benthic resources. Spatial heterogeneity in the dynamics of the stock and of the fishing process complicates data collection and assessment and limits the effectiveness of catch and effort controls. Where landing sites are spread out along the coasts, accountability and enforcement are impossible. Overall, the centralised monitoring, assessment and control of these fisheries are unrealistic. It is only through providing the right incentives for the fishers to participate in all stages of management that sustainability is possible. Two co-management initiatives involving commercial diving fisheries in South America illustrate these points. The implementation of territorial use rights in the shellfish fishery of Chile has delegated much of the monitoring and management to the local fishers? organizations, which now find in their own best interest to conserve their resources. In the shellfish diving fishery of northern Argentine Patagonia, a co-management experiment involves fishers, scientists and managers in the development of sustainable management plans.