Finding Space for Participation: Fisherfolk Mobility and Co-Management of Lake Victoria Fisheries

Abstract

The literature on fisheries co-management is almost silent on the issue of the movement of fisherfolk within fisheries, although such movement must have implications for the effectiveness of co-management. The introduction of co-management often involves the formation of new structures that should enable the participation of key stakeholder groups in decision-making and management, but such participation is challenging for migrating fishers. The article reports on a study on Lake Victoria, East Africa, which investigated the extent of movement around the lake and the implications of movement for how fishers participate and are represented in co-management, and the implications of the extent and nature of movement for co-management structures and processes. The analysis draws on the concept of space from the literature on participation in development and on a framework of representation in fisheries co-management in addressing these questions. The created space is on an 'invited' rather than open basis, reflecting the top-down nature of implementation and the desire to secure participation of different occupational groups, as well as women in a male-dominated sector. The more powerful boat owners dominate positions of power within the co-management system, particularly as the levels of co-management, from sub-district to national, are traversed. The limited power and resources of boat crew are exacerbated by the degree and nature of movement around the lake, making effective participation in co-management decision-making a challenge.

Lacking the Means or the Motivation? Exploring the Experience of Community-Based Resource Management Among Fisherfolk on Lake Victoria, Uganda

“…Furthermore, the BMU committee positions were largely filled by those who had resided in the community for a long time and those who were more successful, often boat owners or fish traders rather than fishing crew. This reflects the findings of Nunan et al (2012), who note that the migratory nature of fishing livelihoods prevents participation of fishers. The actual level of empowerment experienced by this group of people through co-management may therefore be limited.…”

Towards adaptive co-management of small-scale fisheries in Uruguay and Brazil: lessons from using Ostrom’s design principles

“…) are among the main factors contributing to the failure of adaptive co-management, as shown in a recent literature review (Plummer et al 2012). One major barrier emerging from our research which did not arise in that review and has received little attention in the literature is fishers' migration (Nunan et al 2012).…”

“…Migrant fishers should be thus included in decision-making processes as a distinct user-group. However, given that migrants may be competing for resources with host communities, they sometimes suffer from discrimination, marginalization and exclusion from various aspects of community life, including political institutions and decision-making (Njock and Westlund 2010;Crona and Rosendo 2011;Nunan et al 2012).…”

A Bottom-Up Understanding of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing in Lake Victoria

“…Understanding why this difference occurs is important since fishing crews dominate the fishery in number [47], and determine where to fish. They also interact directly with other actors on fishery-related matters and are often highly mobile in the search for better catches, prices, and improved access to markets [52]. This interaction and their social status (they are often less educated and poorer than boat owners) may explain why their judgments and images may influence each other.…”