4.1 Role of administrations in the co-management of fisheries resources
Under the government-led top-down management of fisheries resources, which has become common in many countries in recent years, the fisheries administration has sought to restore fisheries resources by adopting a series of regulations to reduce overfishing. For fishermen whose daily income is reduced by the enforcement of fishing regulations, there is little awareness of the need to comply with the regulations, and fishermen will continue to operate in contravention of these regulations. Crackdown on illegal operators is an important task for administrations. However, for many national fishery administrations, with inadequate budgets and staffing, it is often virtually impossible to control illegal fishing at all artisanal fishing landing sites scattered along the coast. Consequently, resource management objectives are often not fully achieved.
In the bottom-up co-management of fishery resources proposed by this guideline, administrations help fishermen recognise the need to manage resources and encourage them to act on their own initiative to protect resources. Fishers understand that resource management aims to protect their livelihoods. By conducting resource management activities, fishers use fishery resources sustainably. As part of this co-management of fisheries resources, administrations share with fishers and other resource users various challenges of resource management in fishing villages, proposing solutions and supporting the establishment and strengthening of resource management organisations. Moreover, they support participatory development and implementation of a resource management plan to concretise solutions to the challenges presented. Although the method of support differs at each stage, the basic position of the administrations is always to respect the initiative of the fishermen and provide support.
The differences between the roles of administrations in conventional top-down fisheries resource management and the bottom up co-management of fisheries resources advocated in the guidelines are presented in the table below.
Table 4.1 Comparison of the roles of administrations in various resource management activities
| Activities for resource management | Top-down fisheries resource management | Co-management of fisheries resources |
| Identification of resource management challenges | Current challenges are identified through analysis of landing statistics and surveys on the number of fishers and fishing vessels and fishing methods | In addition to identifying the current situation as described on the left, fishermen’s awareness of resource management is identified, and their commitment will be developed. In addition, identify the interests among fishermen and other resource users. |
| Creation and strengthening of resource management organisations | The involvement of administrations is limited. | Administrations provide backup support for the training of fishermen leaders and the management of their organisations and develop a legal framework for these organisations. |
| Development of a resource management plan | Administrations develop a resource management plan based on statistical data and ecological information on fisheries resources and explain the plan to fishermen and other resource users in public hearings. | Administrations provide fishermen with ecological information on target resources and, if necessary, promote fishermen’s awareness of resource management activities by organising joint research between fishermen and researchers. They also organise a workshop to develop a resource management plan in a participatory manner with fishermen and other resource users. |
| Implementation of resource management activities | Administrations conduct monitoring and control activities regarding resource management regulations. | Administrations and fishermen jointly conduct participatory surveillance and control activities. Administrations provide support for resource management regulations and monitoring and control activities by fishermen regarding legal and institutional development through the establishment of national or local bylaws. |
34. Role of the administration in government-led co-management
In Mauritania, where a government-led fisheries management system has been in place for some time, the rise in the number of small-scale fishermen has increased fishing effort and concerns about the sustainability of the main target species, the sea cucumber. In recent years, there has been a shift toward co-management of resources involving small-scale fishers. This method involves establishing a forum for exchanging opinions, such as a committee consisting of administrative officials and representatives of small-scale fishermen, and reflecting the opinions expressed in the committee in administrative resource management plans.