Top Down Co-Management? The Role of Policy Entrepreneurs and Distributive Conflict

Abstract

"The study examines two fisheries, the Chesapeake Bay blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) fishery and the Maine lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery. Both fisheries exhibit a number of characteristics that are theoretically conducive to overcoming collective action problems associated with the management of common pool resources and both fisheries had support from government agencies and legislators to actively examine co- management options. However, motivation to attend to co-management options varied considerably between the user groups. What is puzzling is that discussions of co-management were eventually shelved in the Chesapeake Bay but implemented in Maine, despite a number of similarities in user group composition and resource attributes as well as support from key decision makers."