Montaje y explicación de una batería hecha con limones

This chapter provides international evidence that fishermen involvement in nature conservation is possible and can indeed play a positive role. Fishermen involvement in nature conservation should therefore be pursued more systematically in order to bring about a transition towards sustainable fisheries. The chapter highlights several issues that need to be taken into account when fisheries co-management and nature conservation are to be integrated. Fishermen organisations should be involved more directly in the development and / or implementation of nature conservation policies. This does not mean that they should always participate directly in all stages of the policy making process, as the empowerment perspective on co-management suggest, it requires however that decision making should be transparent, proportionate, and accountable. In similar way, the interests of other stakeholders should be adequately addressed in decision making, either through direct participation or through increasing the transparency and accountability of the decision making process. Furthermore, local initiatives should be embedded in a wider institutional framework, which ensures that factors beyond the control of local management institutions are effectively taken into account, and also ecosystem based fisheries management is consistent with other policy objectives and vice versa.

More research would be needed to look at similarities and differences of nature conservation on land and at sea, and the consequences this may have for policy instruments which have been developed, and are to be used, in the terrestrial and marine environment respectively. More research would be needed to monitor how EU directives are being translated into national regulation, and in what way stakeholders (including fishermen) are being involved. More research would be needed as to how the Dutch co-management system can be geared to integrate more pro-actively an ecosystem-based management approach. More research would be needed also to provide positive role models for Dutch fishermen how commercial fishing activity and nature conservation can be practically combined.

6

Epilogue

The aim of the project was to provide an international comparison of fisheries management with respect to nature conservation. The EU Birds and Habitats Directive protect species and habitats both on land and at sea. Both directives are currently implemented and implementation has proceeded to a much greater degree on land than at sea. We hope that some of the insights in this report may be of some use in the process of implementation.

We sought to identify examples of viable and sustainable fisheries that were regulated in such a way that they caused no significant harm to the ecosystem. The objective was to learn lessons on fishery management in the context of nature conservation that might be applicable to the Netherlands. Although this report contains many pages, we feel that we have only just begun to scratch the surface of this important topic. We explored different aspects of the problem, but are unable to end this report with a grand and all-encompassing synthesis. However, we do feel a few closing comments are in place.

The classic tools to govern fisheries are restrictive, imposing catch quota, and capacity and technical limits. These have largely failed in preserving fish stocks at optimal, or even viable, economical and ecological levels, and have been effectively frustrated by the "commons" aspect of the fisheries problem. Managing fisheries so that they do not harm nature with these classic tools is an even greater challenge, if not impossible. However, the classicial tools can work if they are applied consistently, as seemed to be the case in the Halibut fishery.

More generally, there is a role for fisheries self-management but not as a stopgap for government-initiated regulation but rather as complementary to public regulation. Market based approaches can play a role, but they cannot be solely depended upon to reach conservation goals. A mixed approach may be optimal, where both public regulations as well as market incentives are combined in a practically intelligent way, and each adds its own distinctive qualities to the overall framework. Thus, self- or co-management may play a role especially when the overall framework of governance has evolved from a regime that is compliance oriented to a regime that tries to stimulate companies to proactively integrate societal concerns in the corporate strategy and organisation.

Throughout this study we had many discussions on what properties and managerial measures may be typical for sustainable fisheries. Below, we provide a list of what came up during these discussions. This list is to a large extent hypothetical. We nonetheless decided to reproduce it here, because it may be of use in future studies:

1. The target species is highly appreciated and highly priced. 2. Product quality is reflected in the price.

3. The economic benefits for individual fishermen or fishing companies are high.

4. The fisheries are manageable and there are no major conflicts concerning catch or bycatch with other forms of fisheries, or these have been dealt with.

5. The fisheries are accompanied by scientific research jointly financed by government and industry.

6. There exists a (national) ownership feeling of the fish stocks by the fishermen. 7. The fishing industry is mainly self regulating and internal control is high.

8. Fishing gear is optimized, taking into account effects on target species, habitats and bycatches.

9. There is a quota system whereby the quota are based on scientific research and agreed by managing authorities and fisheries representatives.

10. When relevant, there are not only quotas for target species but also for vulnerable bycatch species, like sea mammals, turtles, birds, other (large) fish or (long living) benthos.

11. Independent observers often accompany individual fishing vessels.

12. Quotas may differ from Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the whole fleet to Individual Daily Takes (IDT) for individual fishermen, or combinations of these.

13. When quotas either for target or bycatch are reached, the fishery is stopped immediately. 14. The spawning stocks are protected or only very limited fished.

15. Management is aimed at keeping the reproducing stock as high as possible.

16. To avoid killing of small juveniles or reproducing adults, sometimes fisheries are only allowed on intermediate fish sizes (lobster).

17. Closures or no takes both in space and time are an integral part of sustainable fisheries. 18. By scientifically establishing the stocks before setting quota, and by observing strict

management rules, overfishing in times of diminishing stocks is avoided.

19. Measures to improve the stocks are often part of the total fisheries management plan. 20. When rules or quotas are not observed, fines are extremely high and in repetitive cases

may lead to exclusion from the fisheries.

21. Basic criteria of good governance are being observed (governance is immune for corporatist interests)