Espeut, Peter. 1992. "Managing the Fisheries of Jamaica and Belize: The Argument for a Co-Operative Approach." Presented at "Inequality and the Commons," the Third Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, Washington, DC, September 18-20, 1992.

Abstract

"The fisheries of Belize and Jamaica are at opposite extremes: one a healthy export fishery, the other at the brink of collapse. The socio-economic context of the two populations is different, as are the management strategies in place. A substantial portion of the Belize fishery is managed by a number of community-based fishing co-operatives, which have input into state regulating institutions through Belize Co-operative Fisherman's Association. The Jamaican fishery co-operatives are small supply co-operatives, with no resource management functions. The paper explores the impact and potential of fishing co-operatives and fisherman's associations on the management of fishery resources drawing on the experiences of Belize and Jamaica. It examines the role of culture and tradition, and in doing so it performs a critique of community-based approaches to resource management."