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Abstract:
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"Coastal areas in Japan are traditionally managed by the nearby fishing communities as local commons. The Tsunami caused by the huge earthquake in 3-11-2011 gave severe damage to fishing communities in the Sanriku coastal area in Japan. The study investigates the role which coastal commons plays in the process of rehabilitation, focusing on the gathering of abalone, the one of the most important harvests from coastal commons in Sanriku area. By the tsunami, most of fishing boats have been broken/ lost, and with insufficient number of boats, communities tried to conduct abalone gathering for the help for economic rehabilitation. The study examined the types of abalone gathering in 2011, and found four types. There were collective efforts on two aspects, one is with regards to management of insufficient boats, and the other is regarding distribution of profit.
Detailed case study described the decision making process of collective gathering by introducing two different types of fishing communities. One is a fishing community that depends most of livelihood on fisheries, and the other is the community where fisheries is regarded as secondary income source. There have been the collective efforts to sustain community members' living appearing in different appearance: income generation and basic living condition in the community. In Sanriku area, natural resources gathered at the coastal commons have economic importance. The commons in the fishing community functioned as the motivation for rehabilitation, and the collective action encouraged people to go ahead for the rehabilitation."
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