Community Fisheries Management Handbook - Saint Mary's University

access and effort in the fishery. This handbook should be of relevance to
fish harvesters (fishermen), community groups, First Nations, aboriginal
organizations, fisheries managers, government managers, scientists, and
many others.
Indeed, within the above context, many local organizations are creating
a space for more community-based approaches to fisheries management.
However doing community-based fisheries management in these situations
is very different from working in less regulated, more decentralized
fisheries, such as those that are more common in the South (developing
countries). While the underlying principles and values that guide community-based
management are similar whether in India or in Maine, the onthe-ground
application may be completely different due to the differing
local context.
A further key feature of this handbook is its grounding in the particular
fisheries of what we refer to as ‘the Atlantic Region’ – the Atlantic coast
of Canada and of New England in the United States. All case studies and
examples of community-based fisheries management are drawn from
that region, and largely from the inshore fisheries of four jurisdictions
– Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine and Massachusetts. Indeed, the
handbook’s regular use of this rich collection of real-world examples is
fundamental to what is provided here – by drawing on the insights and
lessons of these concrete examples, those engaged in community-based
fisheries management both in the Atlantic Region and elsewhere in the
world will be able to obtain ideas and approaches that may be relevant to
their own local context.
The handbook is for those who need basic, concise ‘how-to’ information
about the many different aspects and approaches of community-based
fisheries management. As community-based management cannot be considered
an easy process, the handbook is for those looking for ideas to help
them address the challenges and complexities involved.
[A note on words: In the first paragraph of this section, you will see the
terms ‘fisherman’ and ‘fish harvester’ appearing together. These two terms
for someone who goes fishing (along with another, ‘fisher’, which is not
used here) are all found often in English language writings on fisheries,
with the choice among them depending on the author and the type of publication.
In this Handbook, we have avoided choosing a single term, but
instead have used the two terms ‘fisherman’ and ‘fish harvester’ (or simply
‘harvester’) interchangeably throughout. In reading the handbook, one
must simply keep in mind that these terms are used here with exactly the
same meaning.]
Using the Handbook
The handbook is divided into three major parts as follows:
Part 1: Community-based Fisheries Management (CBM)
Part 1 provides an introduction to the general ideas behind communitybased
fisheries management, and gives a general overview of communitybased
fisheries management within three sections on “Basic Concepts”,
“Setting the Context” and “Fisheries Managers”.
Part 2: Management Activities in Community-Based Fisheries Management
Part 2 is the core of the handbook. It can be used as a stand-alone reference
on the “how to” of specific fisheries management activities. It is divided
into ten chapters, each covering a key community-based fisheries management
activity. The intent is to provide the information and approaches that
community fishery practitioners need to do their work. Thus, each chapter
has a brief introduction and some key points, often in bullet form, plus real
life experiences presented in text boxes. Part 2 can be used as a reference
guide as needed, with the chapters written in such a way that they can be
read in any order. Readers can go directly to any chapter to learn more
about that particular topic, or how to approach a particular management
activity. A Resources section at the end of each chapter lists other useful
materials for each topic.
C O M M U N I T Y F I S H E R I E S M A N AG E M E N T H A N D B O O K