255
13 Gender in Galician Shell-Fisheries: Transforming for Governability
administration. The regional governments formed after the Spanish Constitution of
1978 were more sensitive to local challenges, such as the mariscadoras in Galicia.
The principle of subsidiarity had a signi fi cant effect on changing the situation.
Certain shrewd politicians and public servants, mainly women, openly supported
the process, and European funding helped create an opportunity for change (Mahou
Lago 2008 ) . In this case, funding was invested in human capital and empowerment,
with positive long-term consequences for the sector.
From a governability perspective, taking into account the system-to-be-governed,
interaction between the social and natural systems improved with the implementation of local regulations concerning shell fi sh resources. In the case of the mariscadoras , we observe that modi fi cations within the social system impact positively on
the natural system and that resource control is also modi fi ed. The establishment of
mariscadoras’ organizations contributed to changes in both the natural system and
the institutions. Women were gradually accepted into cofradías , a process for which
the duration depended on the cofradía in question. It was usually sped up once the
women had shown their capacity for public speaking within fi sheries organizations
and assumed new leadership positions in both the mariscadoras’ organizations and
cofradias . Training courses further contributed to leadership-building at local and
regional levels.
The shell fi sher organizations within cofradías had an opportunity to play a decisive role in the governance of resources. Partnerships with the regional government, which conceived a licensing system to avoid the tragedy of the commons in
shell fi sh beds, were a key factor. The cofradías that pioneered the process experimented with some of these measures early on. However, the support of the regional
government for implementing the model throughout Galicia was decisive, a process that was far from easy. Changing a centuries-old system of free access to
shell fi sh beds, a major resource open to all and a source of food for the underprivileged, was met with considerable resistance. The governability of the sector
increased radically, but was threatened by poaching, as some of the population did
not accept the restrictions and consistently challenged the rules. As a direct result
of the recent economic crisis and the extremely high rate of unemployment in
Spain, these norms have been strongly challenged by large numbers of poachers
throughout Galicia since 2008. Such circumstances have served to further aggravate an already dif fi cult situation for mariscadoras’ organizations, the regional
government, and the coastguard service.
Another issue that characterized mariscadoras’ groups at the end of the process in the mid 1990s was their acceptance of scienti fi c knowledge and the
employment of biologists. The combination of scienti fi c knowledge and the
empirical knowledge of the mariscadoras contributed to the sustainable management of the resource. Male-dominated fi sher organizations were less interested in
the support of biologists in artisanal fi sheries. In some cases, the male leaders of
cofradías considered an educated outsider a threat. For women, however, scienti fi c
knowledge helped them establish annual exploitation plans, which in turn
contributed to better management of the harvesting effort. Scienti fi c knowledge
13 Gender in Galician Shell-Fisheries: Transforming for Governability
administration. The regional governments formed after the Spanish Constitution of
1978 were more sensitive to local challenges, such as the mariscadoras in Galicia.
The principle of subsidiarity had a signi fi cant effect on changing the situation.
Certain shrewd politicians and public servants, mainly women, openly supported
the process, and European funding helped create an opportunity for change (Mahou
Lago 2008 ) . In this case, funding was invested in human capital and empowerment,
with positive long-term consequences for the sector.
From a governability perspective, taking into account the system-to-be-governed,
interaction between the social and natural systems improved with the implementation of local regulations concerning shell fi sh resources. In the case of the mariscadoras , we observe that modi fi cations within the social system impact positively on
the natural system and that resource control is also modi fi ed. The establishment of
mariscadoras’ organizations contributed to changes in both the natural system and
the institutions. Women were gradually accepted into cofradías , a process for which
the duration depended on the cofradía in question. It was usually sped up once the
women had shown their capacity for public speaking within fi sheries organizations
and assumed new leadership positions in both the mariscadoras’ organizations and
cofradias . Training courses further contributed to leadership-building at local and
regional levels.
The shell fi sher organizations within cofradías had an opportunity to play a decisive role in the governance of resources. Partnerships with the regional government, which conceived a licensing system to avoid the tragedy of the commons in
shell fi sh beds, were a key factor. The cofradías that pioneered the process experimented with some of these measures early on. However, the support of the regional
government for implementing the model throughout Galicia was decisive, a process that was far from easy. Changing a centuries-old system of free access to
shell fi sh beds, a major resource open to all and a source of food for the underprivileged, was met with considerable resistance. The governability of the sector
increased radically, but was threatened by poaching, as some of the population did
not accept the restrictions and consistently challenged the rules. As a direct result
of the recent economic crisis and the extremely high rate of unemployment in
Spain, these norms have been strongly challenged by large numbers of poachers
throughout Galicia since 2008. Such circumstances have served to further aggravate an already dif fi cult situation for mariscadoras’ organizations, the regional
government, and the coastguard service.
Another issue that characterized mariscadoras’ groups at the end of the process in the mid 1990s was their acceptance of scienti fi c knowledge and the
employment of biologists. The combination of scienti fi c knowledge and the
empirical knowledge of the mariscadoras contributed to the sustainable management of the resource. Male-dominated fi sher organizations were less interested in
the support of biologists in artisanal fi sheries. In some cases, the male leaders of
cofradías considered an educated outsider a threat. For women, however, scienti fi c
knowledge helped them establish annual exploitation plans, which in turn
contributed to better management of the harvesting effort. Scienti fi c knowledge