Abstract

Over the past decades there have been gradual shifts in fisheries governance in the Caribbean from one that is “top-down” and centralised to one that is “participatory” and devolved. This shift in governance comes from the recognition of the potential benefits to be gained from greater involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making and management regime. This study examines three approaches to fisheries co-management or participatory management in Antigua and Barbuda, from the perspective of a fisheries manager and a fisherfolk leader. The approaches identified with respect to co-management were: consultative (where government consult but have the final decision), collaborative (where government and stakeholders share decisions) and delegated co-management (where government delegate powers to stakeholders to make decisions). Case studies were used to: 1) identify the most appropriate governance approach based on the nature of the fishery; 2) identify the necessary conditions for successful implementa-tion of a co-management system; and 3) examine the effectiveness and cost efficiency (where possible) of the various approaches. Some of the main lessons learned were: 1) the absence of strong fisherfolk cooperatives or associations makes it difficult for the central management authority to devolve its power; 2) general decline in community structure and institutions of local governance (e.g., village councils) create serious challenges to the implementation of a co-management system; and 3) the size of a community has implications for cost efficiency and effectiveness (in terms of compliance with management decisions), in the implementation of a delegated co-management system.

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