Abstract

According to public administration theories and definitions, fisheries resource health management is traditionally rational in nature and often involves the government's restriction on the fisher's behavior and acts. Several current studies have assessed alternatives to rational management systems for natural resources. One of the alternatives that has been assessed is co-management, which focuses on bringing the users of the resource directly into the management arena. Some co-management strategies have been more successful than others. The present study compares four different fishery resources and evaluates their potential for successful management under a more collaborative, co-management process. Fishery resources evaluated include: Bering Sea pollock, Sri Lankan fisheries, Pacific tuna and billfish fisheries and the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery. Although each fishery's health status could benefit from implementing co-management strategies, management of pollock, tuna and billfish is complicated due to straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks. Management of these international fisheries would necessitate greater coordination and time commitments to implement successful user-driven management practices. Sri Lankan fisheries and the shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Mexico are resources that could more easily benefit from co-management approaches to conserving the resource and managing health issues.