191
10 South Indian Trawl Fisheries – Assessing Their Governability
centers becomes essential. Such cooperation does take place, but primarily along
the lines of caste and political af fi liation. What stands out is the absence of any
structural interaction at the regional level, e.g. in the form of umbrella organizations, impeding associations from linking to other local associations to discuss
wider concerns.
4. A fi nal example relates to Sri Lankan border transgressions at the time of the
civil war. During periods of extreme tension between the Sri Lankan navy and
the Sea Tigers, the FD made pointed efforts to keep trawl fi shers informed about
the risks that they were running. In these cases of life and death, the information
fl ow between governmental and non-governmental actors proved to be remarkably smooth.
In conclusion, as different governing actors operate at different scale levels, each
covering at least part of the Palk Bay area, linkages between them are crucial to
achieve some level of coherence and coordination. Our research, however, demonstrates that these linkages are mostly of an ad hoc nature and fail to adequately
address the discrepancies.
Attunement: Structural Conditions
We noted above that the Palk Bay trawler fi sheries are diverse and dynamic in many
respects. To what extent does the governing system possess the necessary qualities –
i.e. sensitivity and fl exibility – to deal with these properties?
What stands out is the complete absence of regular and planned meetings between
the FD and the trawl fi shers. Although interaction with boat owner associations is
substantial, and there is always room for discussion and even negotiation, this all
occurs on an ad hoc basis, rather than an institutionalized one. At the level of policy
making, there is no system of stakeholder consultation to enrich the information
base (e.g. the fi sher knowledge of the state of the ecosystem dynamics) or to share
opinions about policy tools. In addition, the FD lacks a mechanism to monitor and
evaluate the implementation of governmental regulations.
The monthly meetings between the District Collector (the highest authority at
this administrative level) and fi shers in Ramnathapuram District (one of the districts
adjoining the Palk Bay) to discuss prevailing con fl icts and problems or register
complaints is an interesting exception in this context (Jentoft et al. 2009 ) . It is
unclear whether meetings of this kind also take place in other coastal districts along
the Palk Bay.
The coast guard also provides a positive example. At the time of fi eldwork,
this agency had launched a ‘community interaction programme’, which materialized in monthly visits to a landing site. These meetings were intended not only to
provide information, but also to create trust among the fi shing population of the
Palk Bay. Although this gesture is viewed with some suspicion among members
of the boat owner associations, it constitutes an interesting example of efforts to
10 South Indian Trawl Fisheries – Assessing Their Governability
centers becomes essential. Such cooperation does take place, but primarily along
the lines of caste and political af fi liation. What stands out is the absence of any
structural interaction at the regional level, e.g. in the form of umbrella organizations, impeding associations from linking to other local associations to discuss
wider concerns.
4. A fi nal example relates to Sri Lankan border transgressions at the time of the
civil war. During periods of extreme tension between the Sri Lankan navy and
the Sea Tigers, the FD made pointed efforts to keep trawl fi shers informed about
the risks that they were running. In these cases of life and death, the information
fl ow between governmental and non-governmental actors proved to be remarkably smooth.
In conclusion, as different governing actors operate at different scale levels, each
covering at least part of the Palk Bay area, linkages between them are crucial to
achieve some level of coherence and coordination. Our research, however, demonstrates that these linkages are mostly of an ad hoc nature and fail to adequately
address the discrepancies.
Attunement: Structural Conditions
We noted above that the Palk Bay trawler fi sheries are diverse and dynamic in many
respects. To what extent does the governing system possess the necessary qualities –
i.e. sensitivity and fl exibility – to deal with these properties?
What stands out is the complete absence of regular and planned meetings between
the FD and the trawl fi shers. Although interaction with boat owner associations is
substantial, and there is always room for discussion and even negotiation, this all
occurs on an ad hoc basis, rather than an institutionalized one. At the level of policy
making, there is no system of stakeholder consultation to enrich the information
base (e.g. the fi sher knowledge of the state of the ecosystem dynamics) or to share
opinions about policy tools. In addition, the FD lacks a mechanism to monitor and
evaluate the implementation of governmental regulations.
The monthly meetings between the District Collector (the highest authority at
this administrative level) and fi shers in Ramnathapuram District (one of the districts
adjoining the Palk Bay) to discuss prevailing con fl icts and problems or register
complaints is an interesting exception in this context (Jentoft et al. 2009 ) . It is
unclear whether meetings of this kind also take place in other coastal districts along
the Palk Bay.
The coast guard also provides a positive example. At the time of fi eldwork,
this agency had launched a ‘community interaction programme’, which materialized in monthly visits to a landing site. These meetings were intended not only to
provide information, but also to create trust among the fi shing population of the
Palk Bay. Although this gesture is viewed with some suspicion among members
of the boat owner associations, it constitutes an interesting example of efforts to