ABSTRACT
Fish stocks are widely reported to be in decline in many of the
world's oceans and inland water bodies. While this poses significant
environmental problems, a major concern is the impact of these declines on
millions of people who depend on fish as a source of both food and
livelihood. Efforts to manage fish stocks for sustainable production have,
in the past, focused on maintaining optimal productivity by managing fishing
effort and catch limitations. More recently, acknowledging the intrinsic
role of humans within the fisheries system has led to a more inclusive
approach to integrate social, economic, and biological objectives within
fisheries management. Today, the particular importance of fish and fisheries
to the world's poor suggests a need to take a pro-poor approach to
fisheries management to ensure that benefits from remaining fish stocks
continue to contribute to food security and livelihoods of the
poor.
To effectively improve fisheries management for the benefit of the poor,
this paper argues that management approaches must address the inherent
complexity and heterogeneity found in fisheries, and the differing needs of
both fishers and non-fishers, for whom fish plays a role as a source of
food, income, and employment. We conclude that understanding the diverse
nature of fishery activities and the role they play in rural livelihoods is
essential if we are to avoid making potentially damaging assumptions about
the nature of fishing and the contribution of fish to the lives of the poor,
leading to unintended interventional outcomes. We also argue that fishers
are not passive beneficiaries of interventions, but rather ‘drivers
of change’ responding to the opportunities and constraints with which
they are presented.
INTRODUCTION
As fish stocks are reported to be in decline throughout many of the
world's oceans and inland areas (e.g., Worm et al. 2006; Wong et al.
2007; Garcia and Newton, 1997), concerns have been increasing in recent years
not only for the environmental impact of such declines, but also for the
potential effects of fish stock decline on the millions of people around the
world who depend on fish as both a source of food and livelihood.