Abstract

In Barbados the management of the fishery for the white sea urchin (Tripneustes ventricosus), commonly referred to as sea egg, has proven problematic for many years. High cultural and economic values are placed on this fishery. High value in addition to the sedentary nature of these organisms, and their preference for shallow nearshore habitats, make sea urchins attractive for harvest and vulnerable to over exploitation. Several attempts at co-management have not yet yielded entirely successful outcomes. Perhaps what first needs to be done is to review these attempts, identify their faults and correct them. Attempting an entirely new approach which involves stakeholders in management decisions and focuses on learning by doing in situations of uncertainty may also contribute to a solution. This new approach, referred to as adaptive co-management, can be tailored to specific places and situations, engaging various organizations at different scales. This paper reports upon graduate research that aims to develop a modified version of the resilience-based framework of Plummer and Armitage (2007) for evaluating adaptive co-management. Changes made to the framework attempt to simplify the language, adapt it to the Barbadian sea urchin fishery situation and provide a comprehensive way for resource managers with similar situations to evaluate the potential for developing adaptive co-management. Field methods for operationalizing the framework are presented. Recommendations are made to suggest ways in which the framework may be used as a basis for comparison across the Eastern Caribbean.

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