Experiences with Fisheries Co-Management in North America

Introduction

The authors of this chapter focused first on the question of who was using the term co-management in North America and what was meant by it. We used the definition proposed by the editors of this book: “an arrangement where responsibility for resource management is shared between the government and user groups.” However, much of our discussion soon shifted into a comparison of power sharing in Canada and the United States, particularly who has decision-making authority over fisheries resources and how this changes over time. In discussing the ideal conditions for government user cooperation and a mutual willingness to support local governance, the idea of Jeffersonian Democracy came to mind. Jefferson envisioned a national government limited purely to national concerns and subsequence divisions into state, county and township governments such that “... each might do for itself what concerns itself directly, and what it can so much better do than a distant authority.”

Although the Jeffersonian ideal may well fit the co-management model, co-management is neither a panacea for sustainable fisheries management nor can it be implemented in the same way in every situation. Rather, it is an evolving process for building collaborative institutions and better government-resource user relationships in which management rights and responsibilities are negotiated to best fit the circumstances. In its highest form, co-management opens up new possibilities for cooperation between governments, First Nations, resource users, and communities; providing new forums for dialogue, improved communication, reduced over-investment, increased user participation in allocation decisions and new means for resolving complex resource management problems. Our own process of dialogue, debate and discussion in writing this chapter, is a testimony to the fruits of collaboration. Perhaps this is a good reminder that the concept of co-management originates from the idea of democracy: the practice of social equality by vesting the power of government in the people being governed.

Source: Loucks, L., Wilson, J.A., and J.J.C. Ginter. 2003. “Experiences with fisheries co-management in North America.” In: D.C. Wilson, J.R. Nielsen, and P. Degnbol, eds., The Fisheries Co-management Experience. Guelph, Canada: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 153-169.

For more information, please contact: Jay.Ginter@noaa.gov