Co-management and the Eastport lobster fishery

Fisheries management has traditionally been regulated through governments which have vested ownership in natural resources. Despite regulatory efforts, the common property nature of natural resources often results in overexploitation and destruction of otherwise renewable resources. Fisheries worldwide have experienced declines in landed volumes and fisheries managers have looked to alternative management approaches to stem the tide of unsustainable use. Natural resource exploitation has shown examples of sustainable use through long enduring institutions, which depend on the resource user at the local level to husband local resources. The particular problems that plague fisheries are explored and successful and unsuccessful co-management regimes are examined. The role of government in fisheries policy formulation is examined in the context of Canadian fisheries management with a case study analysis of a lobster co-management initiative on the Eastport Peninsula.