137
8 Applying the Governability Concept in Fisheries…
the conversion of shrimp trawlers into gillnetters and long liners, and 25 boat owners in Chennai have actually moved into the tuna fi shery ( fi eld notes MB 2008).
Their catches are destined for export, mainly to the Far East, and quality control is
an important consideration.
Contrary to the mackerel fi shery discussed in Case 3, the tuna fi shery chain is
long, of high monetary value, and very intricate. The governance challenges are diffuse and of a serious nature. On the one hand, international agencies are pushing for
a management regime that prevents over fi shing of tuna stock. On the other, agencies
at various scale levels keep watch over hygiene and food quality. Coordination of
governance effort between actors is an important concern.
Case 5: Lower dynamics. The chank ( Turbinella pyrum) fi shery of the Gulf of
Mannar dates back to pre-colonial times (Hornell 1914 ) , and is linked mainly to
North Indian ornamental markets. It is one of the few marine fi sheries to have been
regulated (and taxed) by the colonial government. Nowadays, divers, who own no
more than a mask and a set of fi ns, operate this fi shery from small boats, offering
their catches to traders waiting on the shore. The main dynamic in this fi shery is
market demand and the resulting pressure on stocks.
This fi sh chain requires governance efforts of a stable kind, primarily directed
at curbing fi shing effort within ecological limits. In parallel to the pearl fi shery
that took place along this coast, the Tamil Nadu government historically issued
licenses for chank diving and monitored the fi shing closely. This practice was,
however, recently discontinued for, what were in all likelihood, fi nancial reasons.
Some village councils are currently putting limits on diving technology, such as
by prohibiting the use of scuba diving equipment (van Haastrecht and Schaap
2003 ) .
Case 6: Higher dynamics . The shrimp fi shery of India is an example of high dynamics, precipitated by a sudden integration, from the 1960s onwards, into a high-value,
international market (Kurien 1978 ) . The trawl fi shery now counts almost 30,000
craft (CMFRI 2005 ) and still focuses largely on shrimp. The movement of trawler
fl eets from one Indian state to another has caused signi fi cant social tensions, as has
their incursion into the fi shing grounds operated by small-scale fi sher populations.
These dynamics are also in fl uenced by rising fuel prices and the advent of shrimp
aquaculture.
Governance theory argues that a system-to-be-governed characterized by high
dynamics and unpredictability can be successfully addressed only when the governing system is fl exible and organized for learning. As Mahon et al. ( 2005 ,
369–70) point out, “Dealing with unpredictable systems is like moving through
uncharted territory. The only way to function in such systems is to constantly
monitor where one has been and where one has reached, and then to re fl ect on the
progress and to move forward guided by the learning.” In reality, the Fisheries
Department has followed a reactive approach by trying, for the most part, to
exercise damage control. Learning still has a low priority in departmental
policy.
8 Applying the Governability Concept in Fisheries…
the conversion of shrimp trawlers into gillnetters and long liners, and 25 boat owners in Chennai have actually moved into the tuna fi shery ( fi eld notes MB 2008).
Their catches are destined for export, mainly to the Far East, and quality control is
an important consideration.
Contrary to the mackerel fi shery discussed in Case 3, the tuna fi shery chain is
long, of high monetary value, and very intricate. The governance challenges are diffuse and of a serious nature. On the one hand, international agencies are pushing for
a management regime that prevents over fi shing of tuna stock. On the other, agencies
at various scale levels keep watch over hygiene and food quality. Coordination of
governance effort between actors is an important concern.
Case 5: Lower dynamics. The chank ( Turbinella pyrum) fi shery of the Gulf of
Mannar dates back to pre-colonial times (Hornell 1914 ) , and is linked mainly to
North Indian ornamental markets. It is one of the few marine fi sheries to have been
regulated (and taxed) by the colonial government. Nowadays, divers, who own no
more than a mask and a set of fi ns, operate this fi shery from small boats, offering
their catches to traders waiting on the shore. The main dynamic in this fi shery is
market demand and the resulting pressure on stocks.
This fi sh chain requires governance efforts of a stable kind, primarily directed
at curbing fi shing effort within ecological limits. In parallel to the pearl fi shery
that took place along this coast, the Tamil Nadu government historically issued
licenses for chank diving and monitored the fi shing closely. This practice was,
however, recently discontinued for, what were in all likelihood, fi nancial reasons.
Some village councils are currently putting limits on diving technology, such as
by prohibiting the use of scuba diving equipment (van Haastrecht and Schaap
2003 ) .
Case 6: Higher dynamics . The shrimp fi shery of India is an example of high dynamics, precipitated by a sudden integration, from the 1960s onwards, into a high-value,
international market (Kurien 1978 ) . The trawl fi shery now counts almost 30,000
craft (CMFRI 2005 ) and still focuses largely on shrimp. The movement of trawler
fl eets from one Indian state to another has caused signi fi cant social tensions, as has
their incursion into the fi shing grounds operated by small-scale fi sher populations.
These dynamics are also in fl uenced by rising fuel prices and the advent of shrimp
aquaculture.
Governance theory argues that a system-to-be-governed characterized by high
dynamics and unpredictability can be successfully addressed only when the governing system is fl exible and organized for learning. As Mahon et al. ( 2005 ,
369–70) point out, “Dealing with unpredictable systems is like moving through
uncharted territory. The only way to function in such systems is to constantly
monitor where one has been and where one has reached, and then to re fl ect on the
progress and to move forward guided by the learning.” In reality, the Fisheries
Department has followed a reactive approach by trying, for the most part, to
exercise damage control. Learning still has a low priority in departmental
policy.