The theme of the conference in November 2008 was “Hybrid management systems and their impact on the industry and the local communities”.
The management of fisheries is continuously changing. One of the trends for the time being is that the market is playing an ever-increasing role for fisheries, but also for the management of fisheries. Another trend is that fisheries have to be part of different self- or co-management systems. Traditionally the economists deal with the study of markets and market based management systems, whereas social scientists and humanists work with involvement of stakeholders in the decision processes. In recent years hybrids of market and co-management based management systems have developed, making the interchange between scientific disciplines even more essential. Examples of such hybrids could be: 1) Certification of fish and fisheries, where the trade itself formulates – more or less binding – codes of conduct for their fishery, and 2) Grouping of fishermen in larger units after quotas have become transferable. Experience from other countries shows that these units may be well suited for various types of management tasks. These hybrids have in common that they require participation from the fishermen, and the fishermen must have knowledge of the organization of the management, documentation etc.
The purpose of this conference was to gain an insight in the diversity of the new management systems and their impact on trades and industries as well as the local communities. The conference should contribute to coordinating the research in the area, to disseminating experience from different countries and different disciplines so that it can be used in other countries, and finally it should start a dialogue between researchers, managers and stakeholders.
