Co-management Of Small-scale Fisheries Research Articles

Opportunities and challenges for small-scale fisheries co-management: A case study of the unofficial landing records system in a Brazilian fishing community

The scarcity of information on small-scale fisheries (SSF) prevents the dimensioning of production and the assessment of fish stocks and, consequently, impairs the feasibility of adequate management decisions. This study aimed to analyze the challenges and opportunities of landing records in SSF based on a case study in a fishing community in northeastern Brazil. In addition, the temporal trends of the main exploited fish species were analyzed using the local ecological knowledge of artisanal fishers. Due to the wide data gap, this analysis included the records provided by the fisher Colony Z-19 only from 2017 and 2018 and a comparison from October to January for 2006–2007, 2012–2013, and 2017–2018. The free listing technique was applied to 30 local fishers. The total catch recorded in 2017 was 50.7 tons, and 43.79 tons in 2018, while the average catch per unit effort was 12.32 ± 6.18 and 10.33 ± 5.66 kg/fisher.day, respectively in each year. Landing records encompassed eight multi-specific categories, which strongly restricts the potential use of this information for fisheries management. Despite the relevance of the Colony’s intention to monitor the landings without external support, this is strictly aimed at the commercial control of fishing production. This scenario presents an opportunity, with the cooperation of other stakeholders, to develop standardized methods of fishery statistics that shed light on the conditions surrounding stocks that are fished in SSF. Some recommendations are provided for a national well-established fishing landing monitoring.

Disparities in the impacts of co-management on fishers’ livelihoods

AbstractNatural resources are widely managed through collaborative governance arrangements (e.g., co-management) which often result in the uneven distribution of costs and benefits among fishers. Discrepancies in how a fisher is impacted by co-management relative to other fishers or others in the community (i.e., disparity) can negatively affect fishers’ wellbeing, their support for management, and subsequently, ecological outcomes. Yet, disparities in the distribution of social impacts from co-management have rarely been assessed. We address this gap by examining disparities (losses and gains) in perceived livelihood impacts from co-management. Losses (or gains) occur when a fisher experiences a more negative (or positive) impact on their livelihood relative to other fishers or others in the community. We used data from interviews with 1191 fishers associated with 48 coral reef co-management arrangements across Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea to examine how socioeconomic and institutional characteristics were associated with losses and gains from co-management. Overall, we found that more fishers perceived equality than disparities in the distribution of co-management impacts. Of those that perceived disparities, more fishers perceived losses than gains. We also found that disparities could be predicted by a range of socioeconomic characteristics, including distance to markets and wealth, and institutional characteristics of the co-management regime, such as gear, access, and area restrictions. This study provides insights on potential entry points that could be used by managers and policy-makers to promote equitable co-management of small-scale fisheries, such as the reduction of losses by increasing participation in decision-making processes, fostering conflict resolution mechanisms, prioritizing gear restrictions over area restrictions, and reducing poverty.

Blue Food Sovereignty Benefits Social-Ecological Resilience: A Case Study of Small-Scale Fisheries Co-Management and Mariculture in Samoa

“Blue” (aquatic) food systems have a vital role in providing nutrition, livelihoods, and food security for coastal communities, but addressing and evaluating issues of equity and social resilience continue to challenge small-scale fisheries management. We examine how marine aquaculture and co-management approaches that integrate traditional institutions can support food sovereignty for more equitable blue food systems. Interviews with stakeholders in 11 fishing communities in Samoa indicate that several benefits associated with food sovereignty are derived from co-managed village fish reserves. Reserves support biodiversity health and are a source of culturally valued seafoods that build food security, social capital, and sustainable livelihood opportunities for women. Local values, food systems, providers, and consumers are centered, though traditional hierarchies present challenges for equitable decision-making. Our findings demonstrate how incorporating food sovereignty into the operation and evaluation of fisheries co-management can aid in addressing equity and resilience.

Linking small-scale fisheries co-management to U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

Small-scale fisheries account for 90% of global fishers and 40% of the global catch. Effectively managing small-scale fisheries is, therefore, crucial to progressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Co-management and community-based fisheries management are widely considered the most appropriate forms of governance for many small-scale fisheries. We outlined relationships between small-scale fisheries co-management and attainment of the SDGs, including evidence for impacts and gaps in dominant logic. We identified 11 targets across five SDGs to which small-scale fisheries co-management (including community-based fisheries management) can contribute; the theory of change by which these contributions could be achieved; and the strength of evidence for progress toward SDG targets related to various co-management strategies. Our theory of change links the 11 SDG targets by qualifying that progress toward some targets is contingent on others being achieved first. We then reviewed 58 case studies of co-management impacts from the Pacific Islands--a region rich in local marine governance--to evaluate evidence of where, to what degree, and with how much certainty different co-management strategies conferred positive impacts to each SDG target. These strategies included access restrictions, permanent area closures, periodic closures, and gear and species restrictions. Although many studies provide evidence linking multiple co-management strategies to improvements in resource status (SDG 14.4), there was limited evidence of follow-on effects, such as improvements in catch (SDG 2.3, 2.4), livelihoods (SDG 1.2), consumption (SDG 2.1), and nutrition (SDG 2.2). Our findings suggest that leaps of logic and assumptions are prevalent in co-management planning and evaluation. Hence, when evaluating co-management impacts against the SDGs, consideration of ultimate goals is required, otherwise, there is a risk of shortfalls between aspirations and impact.

Drivers of Small-Scale Fishers’ Willingness to Adopt Property Rights Co-Management in the Lake Nokoué and Porto-Novo Lagoon Complex in Southeast Benin

The estuarian and lagoon areas of southeast Benin are atypical lake territories where private property rights are hereditary from endogenous legal tradition. People live in stilt dwellings and are exclusively dedicated to free-to-access fishing. Consequently, an increasing number of fishers with low respect for the State’s general rules for sustainable fishing contribute to legal pluralism and the tragedy of the commons. Co-management of small-scale fisheries has been advocated to offer various benefits, including improved socio-ecological integration, shared sustainable livelihoods, and adherence to biodiversity objectives. This study aims to assess the factors that influence the willingness of small-scale fishers to adopt property rights co-management options in southeast Benin. The data were collected using the discrete choice experiment method. The results show that 44% of fishers are willing to adopt property rights co-management options. This willingness is determined by their involvement in the co-management committee, access to a subsidy and livelihood diversification options. These fishers are the oldest in the sample and primarily owners of Acadja, a traditional fishing tool made of bush and tree branches planted in the lake. Institutional agreements for co-management establishment, such as subsidies to support small-scale fishers’ livelihood diversification and capacity-building, must be set up to achieve co-management goals.

Household finances and trust are key determinants of benefits from small-scale fisheries co-management

Socioeconomic conditions of small-scale fishing households often influence the benefits communities accrue from fisheries management interventions. Adjacent to seven newly established fisheries comanagement areas initiated in 2018, we examine the attributes of fishing households that influence perceived food, finance and job security, and compliance with fishing closures. We interviewed respondents from 1828 fishing households in 2019 and 2025 households in 2021 across the seven areas in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. A key finding was that perceived food, financial and job security outcomes increased over the two-year period and were positively related to respondents knowledge of fisheries comanagement. Relationships between both household savings and loans and with household food security highlights the need for policy and institutional support for fishing households in times of need. Household income from fisheries and trust in community leaders was also related to higher reported compliance with fishing closures, suggesting that income security and community leadership are important drivers of adoption of comanagement resource harvest rules. In contrast, women who identified as fish processors reported that they did not comply with fishing closures, as likely they were not involved in management decision making. Moreover, the positive impact of respondent’s trust in their community, on food, financial and job security, implies that strong community relationships can benefit well-being of coastal communities. Our findings highlight the need for programs that strengthen community institutions, improve household financial literacy, promote access to financial services and recognize gendered roles in fishing, as integral parts of community-based fisheries management.

The role of behavioural variation in the success of artisanal fishers who interact with dolphins

Abstract Understanding the dynamics of small-scale fisheries requires considering the diversity of behaviours and skills of fishers. Fishers may have different abilities and tactics that can translate into different fishing outcomes. Here, we investigate variation in fishing behaviours among traditional net-casting fishers that are assisted by wild dolphins, and how this variation interacts with environmental conditions and influences fishing success. By combining in situ environmental sampling with fine-scale behavioural tracking from overhead videos, we found a higher probability of catching fish among fishers well-positioned in the water and that cast their nets wide-open and closer to dolphins. These differences in net-casting performance affect their chance of catching any fish over and above environmental conditions related to fish availability. This finding suggests that fishers’ success may not be simply an outcome of variations in resource availability, but also result from subtle variations in fishing behaviours. We discuss how such behavioural variations can represent skills acquired over the years, and how such skills can be crucial for fishers to benefit and keep interacting with dolphins. Our study demonstrates the role of behavioural variation in the dynamics of a century-old fishery and highlights the need to consider fishers’ behaviours in co-management of small-scale fisheries.

Linking Fisher Perceptions to Social-Ecological Context: Mixed Method Application of the SES Framework in Costa Rica

There are few studies about how social-ecological context is linked to actor perceptions in environmental governance, although it is evident that resource use behavior, participatory processes, rule compliance, and cooperation are influenced by actors’ perceptions. We apply and combine Ostrom’s social-ecological systems framework (SESF) and Bennett’s (2016) perception framework to identify the contextual variables influencing different perceptions in a case study of small-scale fisheries co-management in Costa Rica implementing a marine protected area. Analytically, we use network analysis tools to analyze qualitative interview data in a way that links the two frameworks, and content analysis to provide contexutally meaningful descriptions of those network patterns in practice. Our findings suggest Bennett’s perceptions framework can be expanded and that the SESF is useful to identify how perceptions relate to more social and ecological variables than prior research suggests. Our findings demonstrate the importance of understanding perceptions and context in environmental governance analyses and practice. We conclude with reflections on local policy challenges.

Co-Management of Small-Scale Fisheries in Chile From a Network Governance Perspective

We examine decision-making, shared authority, and pluralism as key characteristics for the effective co-management of natural resources. Drawing on the concept of network governance, we complement this approach by studying localized practices of governance that support existing and compensate for missing aspects in the regulation. The regime of territorial use rights for fisheries (TURF) in Chile is a recognized example of large-scale co-management that has given rise to local organizations that manage and exploit benthic resources. Based on multi-sited qualitative fieldwork across five regions, we analyze practices with respect to two governance objects: the deterrence of illegal fishing and the periodic assessment of the fisheries’ biology fields. Our analysis shows that local fisher organizations have institutionalized informal practices of surveillance and monitoring to fill in the gaps of existing regulations. Although fisher organizations and consultants—the so-called management and exploitation areas for benthic resources (AMERB)—have managed to operate the TURF regime, they depend on the government to enforce regulations and receive public subsidies to cover the costs of delegated governance tasks. We suggest that governance effectiveness could benefit from delegating additional authority to the local level. This would enhance the supervision of productive areas and better adaptation of national co-management regulations to the specific geographical context.

Participatory evaluation in times of governance transition: The case of small-scale fisheries in Uruguay

As fisher participation in management has become more prominent, the trend to evaluate fisheries governance has been growing. Participatory evaluation, an approach in which government and fisher stakeholder groups collaborate in the different stages of the evaluation, has been recommended for fisheries co-management, but little research has addressed these interconnected processes. This study analyzed a participatory evaluation process in a context of fisheries governance transition in Uruguay, where multi-stakeholder councils for small-scale fisheries co-management started to be implemented in 2012. Using a case study research approach, the objectives were: (i) to investigate stakeholders' perceptions about the first of these councils on the coast of the Rio de la Plata; (ii) to analyze the process of defining the indicators during the participatory evaluation of the council; and, (iii) to explore the policy implications of this evaluation initiative. The engagement of multiple stakeholders during the evaluation led to a diverse list of indicators to assess the co-management council. Fishers and government stakeholders have different expectations, but the participatory evaluation enabled collective discussion and definition of agreements of procedure for the council, which may help overcome several of its weaknesses. Incorporating participatory evaluation early opens valuable opportunities for bringing together stakeholders and defining meaningful indicators to assess governance reforms.

Uma síntese das condições para a efetividade da cogestão da pesca artesanal

Apesar da emergência de iniciativas de cogestão da pesca artesanal, ou ao menos da sua recomendação enquanto uma alternativa aos modelos convencionais de gestão, a sua efetividade é bastante dependente do contexto social, político, econômico e ecológico. Identificar quais condições poderiam facilitar esse processo se configura como uma das vertentes de pesquisa do enfoque da cogestão adaptativa, com implicações tanto para a análise dos processos quanto para subsidiar experiências práticas em curso. Considerando que diferentes arranjos de cogestão da pesca artesanal têm sido criados no Brasil, neste artigo de revisão é apresentada uma sistematização das principais condições para a sua efetividade, a partir da literatura especializada. Conclui-se que um “cenário ideal” para a cogestão da pesca artesanal reforça processos de pequena escala e de menor complexidade socioecológica, em detrimento da alta complexidade de boa parte dos sistemas socioecológicos costeiros em que a pesca artesanal está inserida

Property relations and the co-management of small-scale fisheries in Costa Rica: Lessons from Marine Areas for Responsible Fishing in the Gulf of Nicoya

Marine fisheries in Costa Rica have become characterized by overexploitation, ineffective centralized management and increased conflict among fishing sectors. Despite high economic and socio-cultural importance of small-scale fisheries, no formal mechanisms existed until recently to facilitate the participation of fishers in management. Marine Areas for Responsible Fishing (Áreas Marinas para la Pesca Responsable, AMPR) were legally recognized in 2009 as a co-management approach, enabling the designation of spatial management areas to be implemented collaboratively by artisanal fishers and government agencies. In this paper, we examine property and access relations shaping this emerging participatory management model using case studies primarily from the Gulf of Nicoya region. The policy demonstrably improves upon some aspects of management, for instance, by allowing artisanal fishers to determine gear restrictions within designated areas. However, the model lacks other attributes of more successful co-management scenarios, particularly exclusive access. The fugitive nature of resources further complicates property relations over these fisheries. The cases explored also illustrate broader institutional and systemic issues that preclude effective participatory management. Lessons from the region are used to propose significant shifts to the management of small-scale fisheries in Costa Rica.

Identifying Drivers of Collective Action for the Co-management of Coastal Marine Fisheries in the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica

Small-scale fisheries are important for preventing poverty, sustaining local economies, and rural livelihoods, but tend to be negatively impacted by traditional forms of management and overexploitation among other factors. Marine Areas for Responsible Fishing (Áreas Marinas de Pesca Responsable, AMPR) have emerged as a new model for the co-management of small-scale fisheries in Costa Rica, one that involves collaboration between fishers, government agencies, and NGOs. The primary objective of this paper is to elucidate some of the key variables that influence collective action among small-scale fishers in Tárcoles, a community in the Gulf of Nicoya. We examined collective action for the formation of a local marketing cooperative and participation in management through the AMPR. We apply the social-ecological framework as a diagnostic and organizational tool in the analysis of several types of qualitative data, including interviews with key informants, informal interviews, legal documents, and gray literature. Findings illustrate the importance of socio-economic community attributes (e.g., group size, homogeneity, previous cooperation), as well as that of social (e.g., equity) and ecological (e.g., improved stocks) outcomes perceived as favorable by actors. In addition, our work demonstrates the importance of certain kinds of external NGOs for facilitating and sustaining collective action.

Social networks and transitions to co-management in Jamaican marine reserves and small-scale fisheries

How social networks support or constrain the transition to co-management of small-scale fisheries and marine reserves is poorly understood. In this paper, we undertake a comparative analysis of the social network structures associated with the transition to co-management in three Jamaican marine reserves. Data from quantitative social relational surveys (n=380) are integrated with data from semi-structured interviews (n=63) and focus groups (n=10) to assess how patterns of relational ties and interactions between and among fishermen and other local level actors (e.g., managers, wardens, NGO staff) support and constrain the transition to co-management. Our research suggests that the transitions to co-management were supported by a combination of three network structure and relational attributes: (i) the presence and position of institutional entrepreneurs; (ii) a dense central core of network actors; and (iii) the prevalence of horizontal ties and vertical linkages held by the community-based organizations formally responsible for the management of the marine reserves. Our findings also show that overall low network cohesion in the three reserves and limited social influence among the wardens may be problematic for sustained collective action that extends beyond the core set of network actors. These findings suggest the importance of strategies to enhance collective action, specifically through attention to the attributes of the corresponding social networks, as a means to contribute to successful transitions to co-management of marine reserves and small-scale fisheries. Our results provide more precise guidance, through social network analysis, on where in the respective networks social capital and leadership may require support or enhancement, and thus on how to target interventions for greatest effect.

Towards adaptive co-management of small-scale fisheries in Uruguay and Brazil: lessons from using Ostrom’s design principles

The literature on commons has established the validity and significance of Elinor Ostrom’s design principles for collective action. Can these principles be used to guide policies and initiatives towards adaptive co-management? We analyze this idea by using two case studies, Piriapolis (Uruguay) and Paraty (Brazil). Both cases are small-scale fisheries, and both have been experiencing a social-ecological crisis in a context of prevailing top-down government management. However, there are signs that government policies are moving towards participatory governance. The objective of this article is to identify opportunities and barriers to adaptive co-management of small-scale fisheries in Uruguay and Brazil using Ostrom’s design principles for guidance. Both case studies partially meet seven of the eleven design principles (as amended by Cox and colleagues), but do not fulfill four. The analysis of the fisheries using Ostrom’s principles sheds light on the opportunities and barriers to adaptive co-management in three categories: resource system, resource users, and governance system. Barriers include long-standing conflicts between small-scale fishers and government agencies, and between small and large-scale fisheries sectors. Nevertheless, recent initiatives involving participatory approaches to research and management show potential to improve compliance with several principles. Two weaknesses of using Ostrom’s principles for the analysis of the cases were a lack of attention to social learning and the exclusion of external drivers.

Marine historical ecology in conservation: applying the past to manage for the future

Chapter Contributors Viewpoint Contributors Foreword (Daniel Pauly) Acknowledgments 1. Managing Human Legacies in a Changing Sea: An Introduction (John N. Kittinger, Louise K. Blight, Keryn B. Gedan, and Loren McClenachan) PART I. Recovering Endangered Species (Lead Section Editor: Louise K. Blight) 2. What Recovery of Exploited Marine Animals Tells Us about Management and Conservation (Heike K. Lotze) 3. Natural or Anthropogenic? Novel Community Reassembly after Historical Overharvest of Pacific Coast Pinnipeds (Jon M. Erlandson, Todd J. Braje, Robert L. DeLong, and Torben C. Rick) 4. Using Disparate Datasets to Reconstruct Historical Baselines of Animal Populations (Francesco Ferretti, Larry B. Crowder, and Fiorenza Micheli) PART II. Conserving Fisheries (Lead Section Editor: John N. Kittinger) 5. Improving Fisheries Assessments Using Historical Data: Stock Status and Catch Limits (Alan M. Friedlander, Joshua Nowlis, and Haruko Koike) 6. Understanding Fisheries through Historical Reconstructions: Implications for Fishery Management and Policy (Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak, Dirk Zeller, and Daniel Pauly) 7. Back to the Future: Integrating Customary Practices and Institutions into Comanagement of Small-scale Fisheries (John N. Kittinger, Joshua E. Cinner, Shankar Aswani, and Alan T. White) PART III. Restoring Ecosystems (Lead Section Editor: Keryn B. Gedan) 8. Historical Information for Ecological Restoration in Estuaries and Coastal Ecosystems (Keryn B. Gedan, Denise L. Breitburg, Robin M. Grossinger, and Torben C. Rick) 9. Estimates of Historical Ecosystem Service Provision Can Guide Restoration Efforts (Philine S. E. zu Ermgassen, Mark D. Spalding, and Robert D. Brumbaugh) 10. Incorporating Historical Perspectives into Systematic Marine Conservation Planning (Natalie C. Ban, John N. Kittinger, John M. Pandolfi, Robert L. Pressey, Ruth H. Thurstan, Matthew J. Lybolt, and Simon Hart) PART IV. Engaging the Public (Lead Section Editor: Loren McClenachan) 11. Engaging Public Interest in the Ocean of the Past: The Promise of New Media (Catherine Marzin, Sian Evans, and Karen Alexander) 12. Choice without Memory: Uncovering the Narrative Potential of Historical Ecology (J. B. MacKinnon) Index

Emergence of co-management governance for Hawai‘i coral reef fisheries

Governance failures associated with top-down management have spawned a myriad of institutional arrangements to engage resource users in decision-making through co-management. Although co-management can take many forms and may not always lead to positive outcomes, it has emerged as a promising governance option available to meet social and ecological goals. Recent research on co-management of small-scale fisheries has used comparative approaches to test factors associated with social and ecological success. Less is known however, about how co-management institutional arrangements emerge and persist in the face of socioeconomic and environmental change. Here, we examine the emergence of co-management governance using a case study from coral reef fisheries in the Hawaiian Islands. We used a mixed methods approach, combining a robust policy analysis and a set of key respondent interviews to trace the evolution of this co-management arrangement. Our research uncovers a set of linked drivers and social responses, which together comprise the emergence phase for the evolution of co-management in this case study. Drivers include resource depletion and conflict, and social responses comprise self-organization, consensus building, and collective action. We share insights on key factors that affect these phases of emergence, drawing on empirical findings from our policy review and key respondent interviews. We conclude by describing ways that our findings can directly inform policy and planning in practice, including the importance of documenting the ‘creation story’ that spawned the new institutional arrangement, ensuring that enabling conditions are present, the complexity of defining community, the connection between process legitimacy and outcomes, and understanding the costs and timelines associated with co-management governance transitions.

Towards a functional typology of small-scale fisheries co-management informed by stakeholder perceptions: A coral reef case study

Co-management has gained significant traction in small-scale fisheries as part of the solution for resolving economic inefficiency, unsustainable harvesting and unequal distribution of benefits derived from fisheries, generating some promising results. Most studies, however, present co-management as the sharing of power between resource users and centralised government, and do not explicitly consider the role of a more diverse set of stakeholders, or what roles different stakeholder types are best positioned to perform. This paper contributes to our understanding of stakeholder diversity by determining, through surveys with 133 fishery stakeholders in Solomon Islands, which stakeholder types are perceived as most suited to particular co-management roles, and which stakeholder types should be collaborating to increase fishery stocks. The effect of respondent socio-demographics, on perceived roles, is tested to explore the value of the role typology. Ten dominant roles were identified across seven stakeholder types, including collaboration and raising awareness, which were perceived to be dominantly the domain of auxiliary stakeholders that are not explicitly recognised in the co-management literature, including NGOs and church leaders. Of the socio-demographic variables tested, only site explained some of the variation in stakeholder roles perceived by respondents. The primary value of the typology lies in its potential to be used as a basis for dialogue on strengths and weaknesses of allocated roles for increasing fish stocks in existing co-management systems.

Navigating change: Second-generation challenges of small-scale fisheries co-management in the Philippines and Vietnam

Early efforts to apply the concept of fisheries co-management in Southeast Asia focused primarily on building the effectiveness of local management institutions and advocating the merits of the approach so that it would be applied in new sites, while gradually learning and adapting to a range of obstacles in practice. Today, with co-management widely embraced by the research community and adopted as policy by an increasing number of governments, a second-generation perspective has emerged. This perspective is distinguished by efforts to navigate and influence change in the broader institutional and governance context: (a) a more sophisticated appreciation of politics, power relations, and the role of the state, (b) efforts to manage resource competition beyond the fisheries sector, (c) building institutions for adaptation and learning, and (d) recognizing divergent values and goals influencing fisheries management. This paper traces the evolution of this second-generation perspective, noting how it has built on learning from early practice and how it has been cross-fertilized by theoretical innovations in related fields, notably resilience thinking and political ecology. We illustrate this evolution through analysis of experience in the Philippines, with a relatively long experience of learning and adaptation in fisheries co-management practice, and Vietnam, where fisheries co-management policies have been embraced more recently. Characterizing the second-generation perspective helps identify points of convergence in the research and policy community about what needs attention, providing a basis for more systematic cross-country and cross-regional learning.

Participatory methodology used for sea urchin co-management in Barbados

This project aimed to develop co-management of exploited marine fishery resources in Barbados using the sea urchin fishery as a test case. The approach was to work with stakeholders, primarily the fishers, to establish a co-management mechanism that could be operated by the fishers themselves with technical and advisory support from the Fisheries Division. The project used Technology of Participation (ToP) methodology, developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA). ToP methods used included Focused Conversation and Participatory Strategic Planning. To our knowledge, this methodology has not previously been applied in small-scale fisheries co-management. Fishers involvement was developed in stages: identification of groups of fishers in communities and a contact person for the group; dialogue with individuals and the small groups; discussion in larger groups to derive approaches to management; and full group participation to reach consensus regarding the most appropriate approach to management. Key persons identified in communities helped organize meetings to discuss the sea urchin fishery. From these community meetings, individuals were selected to take part in the strategic planning. Two vision meetings with separate groups of fishers, produced similar results. These groups were combined at a planning meeting, where fishers examined the blocks to achieving the vision, developed strategies to overcome the blocks, and an action plan to implement the strategies. Fishers and government officials concluded that the methodology had successfully facilitated the input of both parties and produced a workable, consensual approach.