Social-ecological systems and the polycentric governance of fisheries resourcesinstitutional advances in fishing rights and management of discards

Abstract

Fisheries are amongst the most important natural resources to the humanity. Today we acknowledge that fisheries are not only about fish stocks themselves, but they are a broader system that is linked to vital aspects of the society, such as the food security, the economic welfare of millions of people and the cultural legacy that has been perpetuated since Prehistoric times. However, with the development of the humanity, new life patters arose, new tools were developed and, as a consequence, the relationship between humans and resources significantly changed: fishing was no longer carried out exclusively for subsistence, it became an economic activity that rapidly evolved and became a crucial element for the humanity’s survival. Nowadays, millions of people depend on fisheries as a–main, in some geographical areas–source of food, and on fishing as a way of living. With the change in the relationship between humans and fisheries resources a series of problems arose, which are derived both from fishing activity and also from exogenous elements...