Why is fisheries management so difficult? Lecture 2 – The Controversies.
The Scientific concepts explained in the first Lecture are extended to their application, and why this is so dogged by controversy. Much of this is the result of the “tragedy of the commons” which necessitates placing limits on the numbers of persons granted access to a fishery, and the consequent problems of allocation. The international structures for fisheries regulation are summarised, together with their problems, which include the conflict between fishing industries and ENGOs, and confusion about responsibilities for science and for policy. Topical issues of access rights and MPAs are addressed, and more locally the problems over the impact of poaching on diminishing rock lobster and abalone stocks, and the extent to which fishing for sardine and anchovy around penguin colonies may be responsible for the decline in penguin numbers. The roles of ecolabelling and the courts are discussed, and finally a set of core questions about the directions the future management of fisheries may take are posed