The Spanish Mediterranean Fishing Guilds (Cofradías): An Example of Collaborative Management with a Key Role in Sustainable Fisheries

Abstract

The management of Spanish coastal fisheries is based on a mixed model where the centralised action of the government is combined with the self‐organisation of fishers in cofradías (guilds). These institutions have economic and political functions, intermediating between the State and the fishing sector and mediating in the conflicts that may occur. They also have welfare and mutualist tasks. This original and traditional co‐management model is part of the social capital of traditional Spanish fishing. The aim of this article is to explore the possibilities of these Spanish fishers’ organisations in order to improve the legitimacy of the fishery system and the sustainability of fisheries. Our hypothesis is that updating and adapting some aspects of the cofradías model could produce efficient forms of collaborative management and lead to improvements in the sustainability of fisheries. To validate this hypothesis the study analysed 69 face‐to‐face interviews in 21 Spanish–Mediterranean guilds. The analysis focused on three core aspects: the control of fishing resources; the integration of fishing knowledge in the management system; and, finally, the guilds contribution to the legitimacy of the system in the eyes of the fishers.