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This paper reviews some key governance challenges that are experienced in the implementation of fisheries co-management programmes. Specific lessons are drawn from Malawi and, to some extent, from other southern African experiences. Governments and representative user committees are supposedly key partners in the co-management programmes. Many fisheries co-management arrangements in southern Africa are, however, generally consultative, and partnerships tend to be unequal. Nevertheless, there are some co-management sites where co-operative and advisory types of co-management exist. This paper asserts that effective co-management demands the creation of an enabling environment that gives power and authority to both government and resource users at community and district levels in a broader participatory management process. By-laws at the district authority level should be legally binding and according to which fisheries resources are considered as natural goods for the benefit of the local communities. Taxation schemes for appropriation of the resources are important for the sustainable management of fisheries resources, especially in establishing measures for the regulation of fishery related activities. Roles of specific stakeholders should be clear as their support may be crucial to the success or failure of co-management initiatives. Incentives for community participation should primarily aim at resource recovery and sustainable utilisation of the fisheries resources for improved community livelihoods and not on monetary rewards. Where fish resources are overexploited, co-management programmes should include alternative sources of income. Friday NjayaAcknowledgements: I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Douglas Wilson and Elinor Ostrom for their preliminary comments on the structure of the paper. I am also indebted to the 2006 IASC conference participants for the comments they made during presentation of this paper in Bali, Indonesia. Finally, my special thanks go to anonymous reviewers who dedicated their time providing useful ideas and constructive comments.

The effects of climate change have negatively affected Malawi's agricultural production. In this context, fisheries have been providing alternative livelihoods. However, there is a knowledge gap around the responses of small-scale fishers to climate-related changes. Therefore, a study was conducted on the Western shores of Lake Malawi between August 2015 and April 2016. The study evaluated the perceived effects of climate change on small-scale fishers and their coping strategies by employing a wide range of methods for data collection and analysis. The study used explorative surveys, household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews to collect data. The study randomly sampled 112 household heads who owned either fishing gear or a fishing vessel or both. Content analysis for themes was used to analyse the qualitative data. The Mann-Kendal Test was used to analyse trends in meteorological data, and binary logistic regression was used to determine factors that influence coping with low fish catches. Despite the respondents noticing an increased incidence of extreme weather events and low fish catches, their perceptions could not be validated using time series meteorological data. However, such perceptions were influenced by experience from long-time exposure to extreme weather events and to low fish catches. The majority of the fishers had adjusted to these changes by increasing their fishing time, using highly efficient illegal fishing nets, expanding farming land, operating small businesses and undertaking casual labour in agriculture and fishing activities. The fishers' propensity to adjust to these changes increased due to the presence of the following factors: older age of household head, higher education level, being married and having an annual income. In contrast, being a member of fish conservation club decreased the probability of adjusting. This study emphasizes the need to be cautious when defining and framing perceptions of local communities on extreme weather events as data obtained could be misleading. Furthermore, a multi-sectoral approach to balance sustainable livelihoods and management of fisheries is needed. These findings provide theoretical and practical lessons that can inform design, planning and implementation of policies that enhance adaptive capacity in fisheries and promote sustainable livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa.

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There has been a decline in commercially valuable fish species, especially the Chambo (Oreochromis spp), in southern Lake Malawi. Although there might be lack of reliable and scientifically backed evidence, most experts and experienced fishers concur that productivity of most fish stocks in the area is much below par compared to their productivity about two to three decades ago. This leads to the hypotheses that the fish stocks are generally over-exploited. This trend will continue or their productivity will remain at these depressed levels unless appropriate measures are taken. This article argues that Rights Based Management (RBM) could hold the best hope for moving towards sustainable fisheries management in the southern Lake Malawi (Southeast and Southwest Arms) area while recognizing the need for a broad human rights approach for fishing communities. Even then, the implementation of the RBM approach will not be easy given the historical developmental open access management approach and general unorganized characteristics of the small-scale fisheries sector. Of note is that comanagement was introduced in area in the early millennium as part of attempts to strengthen user fishing rights, local accountability and stewardship -with mixed results.

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Globally, our knowledge on lake fisheries is still limited despite their importance to food security and livelihoods. Here we show that fish catches can respond either positively or negatively to climate and land-use changes, by analyzing time-series data (1970-2014) for 31 lakes across five continents. We find that effects of a climate or land-use driver (e.g., air temperature) on lake environment could be relatively consistent in directions, but consequential changes in a lake-environmental factor (e.g., water temperature) could result in either increases or decreases in fish catch in a given lake. A subsequent correlation analysis indicates that reductions in fish catch was less likely to occur in response to potential climate and land-use changes if a lake is located in a region with greater access to clean water. This finding suggests that adequate investments for water-quality protection and water-use efficiency can provide additional benefits to lake fisheries and food security.