Description

The future of the ocean, and that of the planet, depends on sustained, effective changes to natural resources governance. Over the last couple of decades, ocean stewardship efforts have turned to focus on several key approaches, such as the creation and enforcement of marine protected areas (MPAs) and the implementation of sustainable fisheries practices, including small-scale fisheries (SSF) co-management.

The implementation of these ocean governance approaches always requires the enactment of a legal mechanism. In practice, a legal instrument (an act, a regulation) functions as a “blueprint” of how to implement a policy instrument or idea. The quality of the final “product,” whether it is a vessel, an MPA, or an SSF co-management scheme, greatly depends on the accuracy of the blueprint: its fine-tuning, resilience during testing, and level of detail. However, when fishers’ associations complain about the inefficiency of fisheries regulations and demand action to, e.g. combat illegality, this central issue is often overlooked.