Finding Space for Participation: Fisherfolk Mobility and Co-Management of Lake Victoria Fisheries

• Published in: Environmental management (New York) 2012-08, Vol.50 (2), p.204-216
• Main Authors: Nunan, Fiona, Luomba, Joseph, Lwenya, Caroline, Yongo, Ernest, Odongkara, Konstantine, Ntambi, Baker
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Africa, Eastern; Animal Migration; Animals; Aquatic ecosystems; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Boats; Cobalt; Community Participation; Conservation of Natural Resources; Decision Making; Developing countries; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Environment; Environmental Management; Fisheries; Fisheries management; Fishes; Forestry Management; Humans; Lake fisheries; Lakes; LDCs; Management; Management decisions; Movement; Nature Conservation; Ownership; Participation; Power; Power (Psychology); Representations; Research centers; Social networks; Stakeholders; User groups; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0364-152X; 1432-1009
• DOI: 10.1007/s00267-012-9881-y

The literature on fisheries co-management is almost silent on the issue of the movement of fisherfolk within fisheries, although such movement must have implications for the effectiveness of co-management. The introduction of co-management often involves the formation of new structures that should enable the participation of key stakeholder groups in decision-making and management, but such participation is challenging for migrating fishers. The article reports on a study on Lake Victoria, East Africa, which investigated the extent of movement around the lake and the implications of movement for how fishers participate and are represented in co-management, and the implications of the extent and nature of movement for co-management structures and processes. The analysis draws on the concept of space from the literature on participation in development and on a framework of representation in fisheries co-management in addressing these questions. The created space is on an ‘invited’ rather than open basis, reflecting the top-down nature of implementation and the desire to secure participation of different occupational groups, as well as women in a male-dominated sector. The more powerful boat owners dominate positions of power within the co-management system, particularly as the levels of co-management, from sub-district to national, are traversed. The limited power and resources of boat crew are exacerbated by the degree and nature of movement around the lake, making effective participation in co-management decision-making a challenge.