Fishery Co-Management

During the last decade, there has been a shift in the governance and management of fisheries to a broader approach that recognizes the participation of fishers, local stewardship, and shared decision-making. Through this process, fishers are empowered to become active members of the management team, balancing rights and responsibilities, and working in partnership with the government. This approach is called co-management. It provides ideas, methods, techniques, activities, checklists, examples, questions and indicators for the planning and implementing of a process of community-based co-management. It focuses on small-scale fisheries (freshwater, floodplain, estuarine, or marine) in developing countries, but is also relevant to small-scale fisheries in developed countries and to the management of other coastal resources (such as coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass, and wetlands).