Fisheries Co-Management: An Alternative Strategy in Fisheries -- Cases from Denmark

Abstract

"Sustainable and efficient use of fisheries resources is closely linked to the legitimacy of fisheries management schemes. Legitimacy depends on the content of the rules and the participation of user-groups in the decision-making process. The paper analyzes the organization of the fisheries management system, in particular the influence of user-participation in decision-making. Theories of common property resources and institutions are adapted to fisheries and a framework for the analysis of co-management institutions is developed. Two Danish case studies of user-participation are examined to analyze how co-management arrangements are functioning and how they impact on efficiency, equity and sustainability of fisheries resources exploitation."