Case Studies on Co-management of Artisanal Fisheries of Sri Lanka

Fisheries co-management is essentially the sharing of responsibilities and/or authority between the government and local resource users to manage the fishery resource. This strategy is recognized as a solution to the problems encountered in centralized top-down management approaches. In the 'stake net fishery' of Negombo estuary in Sri Lanka, an effective co-management strategy exists where the traditional practices of sharing fishing dates and sites among four community groups are reinforced by government regulations. In the same estuary, some fishers cultivate mangroves for obtaining twigs and branches for construction of brush parks, a traditional practice useful for mangrove conservation. In the kraal fishery of Madu Ganga estuary of Sri Lanka, traditional community-based management (CBM) system has disappeared in early 1970s due to various socioeconomic and political reasons. Through revitalization of features of CBM, a co-management strategy can be introduced to this fishery. The annual inland fish production of Sri Lanka has declined dramatically after 1990, when state patronage for the development of inland fisheries was discontinued for 4 years in the absence of state-sponsored monitoring procedure in the fishery. Fisheries co-management is therefore an effective means for the management of inland capture fishery of the country. A co-management strategy for the culture-based fisheries in non-perennial reservoirs of Sri Lanka is also suggested