GEOG 3020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Skipjack Tuna, Bait Fish, Artisanal Fishing
Document Summary
Fishing livelihoods: notoriously difficult to manage because fish move. Subject to the tragedy of the commons a lot of resources but you cant control peoples access to it, so it gets abused. Perspective sees either privatization or strict government enforcement: caused by: incentive to cheat, leading to environmental destruction, more motivated by self interest, people will take more than their share, depleting the shared resource. Even when it is clear that it is in no ones long term interest to do so. Elinor ostrom: empirical evidence shows that commons can be managed whippet tyrannical enforcement or privatization. Collective action and cooperation are the rule and not the exception. You need institutions of management and an enforcement of rules. The tragedy occurs when the rules poorly match the ecological system they are meant to govern. Fish is a good example of this because fish cross many distances and can go into regions where there is no protection.
