Moving Towards Effective Governance of Fisheries and Freshwater Resources

Abstract

Governance of fish, fisheries, and freshwater resources encompasses bothecological and human well-being. Nevertheless, achieving both is challenging because of thediverse sectors competing for finite resources. This challenge is not related to a lack ofunderstanding of what contributes to effective governance, but rather is due to the tendency todivide freshwater resource users into sectors that do not coordinate their use of freshwater. Apanel of experts identified six issues and recommendations for improving governance of inlandfisheries. These issues are (1) the lack of cross-sectoral integration in the development andmanagement agendas for freshwater ecosystems, (2) the need for governance mechanisms onshared water bodies, (3) the recognition of the rights and wishes of indigenous people and otherstakeholders dependent on inland fisheries, (4) recognizing the important role of aquacultureand how to incorporate aquaculture into governance mechanisms, (5) how to improve fisherymanagement, and (6) how to improve communication among institutions and stakeholders.To facilitate addressing these six issues, this paper systematically explores how governanceof inland freshwater resources, and specifically freshwater fisheries, can be made more effectiveby focusing on the following:1. Guiding principles of governance?the values and ideals that guide the process of governing;2. Governing institutions?those that are charged with overseeing and controlling253the governance processes by which problems are solved and opportunities cre-ated; and3. Opportunities and solutions?the manner, method, and system by which the fish-ery sector is governed, including the policies and management actions that are the tasks of fishery managers and policymakers for the fishery sector, and the need for more integration between all sectors using freshwater.