197
10 South Indian Trawl Fisheries – Assessing Their Governability
out some crucial aspects within each dimension: correspondence of scales, linkages
between governing levels and actors, responsiveness to demands, and a relevant mix
of governing modes.
What we have thus tried to portray is (a) the way in which issues of scale, diversity and dynamics of the system-to-be-governed, in combination with its speci fi c
demands, provide a unique landscape to be governed, and (b) how an assessment
can reveal the extent to which the governing system possesses the characteristics to
adequately deal with that particular landscape, which is done along the lines of four
guiding questions.
The subsequent application to Palk Bay fi sheries demonstrated the utility of the
approach, identifying weaknesses in a particular societal system instead of quantifying governability. These can be interpreted as areas for governing attention. Our
analysis did not emphasize direct suggestions for policy, but rather provided ideas
that inspire the enlargement of governance potential.
These guiding questions, provided by interactive governance theory, in their
present state clearly leave ample discretionary power to the assessor. There is
certainly scope for focusing the questions further. The next step would therefore
be to develop more focused evaluative instruments, providing better guidance on
‘where to look’ and ‘what to look for’ (see Chap. 18 by Chuenpagdee and Jentoft,
this volume).
References
Bavinck, M. (2001). Marine resource management: Con fl ict and regulation in the fi sheries of the
Coromandel Coast. New Delhi: Sage.
Bavinck, M. (2003). The spatially splintered state: Myths and realities in the regulation of marine
fi sheries in Tamil Nadu. Development and Change, 34(4), 633–657.
Bavinck, M., & Jentoft, S. (2011). Subsidiarity as a guiding principle for small-scale fi sher-ies. In
R. Chuenpagdee (Ed.), Contemporary visions for world small-scale fi sheries (pp. 311–320).
Delft: Eburon
Bavinck, M., & Karunaharan, K. (2007). Managerial pluralism in the marine fi sheries of Ramnad
District, Tamil Nadu, India. Working paper. New Delhi: IDPAD.
Bavinck, M., & Kooiman, J. (2008). Slippery as fi sh – How variations in capture fi sheries affect
opportunities for governance. (Paper presented at the American Fisheries Society Congress,
Ottawa, Canada).
Bavinck, M., & Salagrama, V. (2008). Assessing the governability of capture fi sheries in the Bay
of Bengal. The Journal of Transdisciplinary Environmental Studies, 7(1), 1–13.
Bavinck, M., de Klerk, L., van Dijk, D., Rothuizen, J.V., Blok, A.N., Bokhorst, J.R., van Haastrecht, E.K.,
van de Loo, T.J.C., Quaedvlieg, J.G.J., Scholtens, J. (2008). Time-zoning for the safe-guarding
of capture fi sheries: A closed season in Tamil Nadu, India. Marine Policy, 32(3), 69–378.
Bhathal, B. (2005). Historical reconstruction of Indian marine fi sheries catches, 1950–2000, as a
basis for testing the ‘Marine Trophic Index’. Fisheries Centre Research Reports, 13, 4.
Vancouver: Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia.
Chuenpagdee, R., & Jentoft, S. (2009). Governability assessment for fi sheries and coastal systems:
A reality check. Human Ecology, 37, 109–120.
Chuenpagdee, R., Kooiman J., Pullin, R. (2008). Assessing governability in capture fi sheries, aquaculture and coastal zones. The Journal of Transdisciplinary Environmental Studies, 7(1), 1–20.
10 South Indian Trawl Fisheries – Assessing Their Governability
out some crucial aspects within each dimension: correspondence of scales, linkages
between governing levels and actors, responsiveness to demands, and a relevant mix
of governing modes.
What we have thus tried to portray is (a) the way in which issues of scale, diversity and dynamics of the system-to-be-governed, in combination with its speci fi c
demands, provide a unique landscape to be governed, and (b) how an assessment
can reveal the extent to which the governing system possesses the characteristics to
adequately deal with that particular landscape, which is done along the lines of four
guiding questions.
The subsequent application to Palk Bay fi sheries demonstrated the utility of the
approach, identifying weaknesses in a particular societal system instead of quantifying governability. These can be interpreted as areas for governing attention. Our
analysis did not emphasize direct suggestions for policy, but rather provided ideas
that inspire the enlargement of governance potential.
These guiding questions, provided by interactive governance theory, in their
present state clearly leave ample discretionary power to the assessor. There is
certainly scope for focusing the questions further. The next step would therefore
be to develop more focused evaluative instruments, providing better guidance on
‘where to look’ and ‘what to look for’ (see Chap. 18 by Chuenpagdee and Jentoft,
this volume).
References
Bavinck, M. (2001). Marine resource management: Con fl ict and regulation in the fi sheries of the
Coromandel Coast. New Delhi: Sage.
Bavinck, M. (2003). The spatially splintered state: Myths and realities in the regulation of marine
fi sheries in Tamil Nadu. Development and Change, 34(4), 633–657.
Bavinck, M., & Jentoft, S. (2011). Subsidiarity as a guiding principle for small-scale fi sher-ies. In
R. Chuenpagdee (Ed.), Contemporary visions for world small-scale fi sheries (pp. 311–320).
Delft: Eburon
Bavinck, M., & Karunaharan, K. (2007). Managerial pluralism in the marine fi sheries of Ramnad
District, Tamil Nadu, India. Working paper. New Delhi: IDPAD.
Bavinck, M., & Kooiman, J. (2008). Slippery as fi sh – How variations in capture fi sheries affect
opportunities for governance. (Paper presented at the American Fisheries Society Congress,
Ottawa, Canada).
Bavinck, M., & Salagrama, V. (2008). Assessing the governability of capture fi sheries in the Bay
of Bengal. The Journal of Transdisciplinary Environmental Studies, 7(1), 1–13.
Bavinck, M., de Klerk, L., van Dijk, D., Rothuizen, J.V., Blok, A.N., Bokhorst, J.R., van Haastrecht, E.K.,
van de Loo, T.J.C., Quaedvlieg, J.G.J., Scholtens, J. (2008). Time-zoning for the safe-guarding
of capture fi sheries: A closed season in Tamil Nadu, India. Marine Policy, 32(3), 69–378.
Bhathal, B. (2005). Historical reconstruction of Indian marine fi sheries catches, 1950–2000, as a
basis for testing the ‘Marine Trophic Index’. Fisheries Centre Research Reports, 13, 4.
Vancouver: Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia.
Chuenpagdee, R., & Jentoft, S. (2009). Governability assessment for fi sheries and coastal systems:
A reality check. Human Ecology, 37, 109–120.
Chuenpagdee, R., Kooiman J., Pullin, R. (2008). Assessing governability in capture fi sheries, aquaculture and coastal zones. The Journal of Transdisciplinary Environmental Studies, 7(1), 1–20.