Conditions for sustainability of small-scale fisheries in developing countries

Institutions that manage small-scale fisheries across the globe can be locally based, state controlled or of a mixed, cross-scale nature. The latter arrangement, widely known as co-management, is generally believed to be the preferred approach for sustainability. This paper employs a crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA) to examine 17 cases of small-scale fisheries in developing countries, in order to assess the degree of state involvement which may be most effective in realizing sustainable small-scale fisheries. These degrees vary between: (a) strong top-down regulation irrespective of fishing community wishes, (b) a co-management mode of negotiation with fishing communities, (c) a merely supportive role of the state, or absence from the fishing scene. It was revealed that contrary to expectations, the sustainability of small-scale fisheries depended solely on the strength of collective social capital of the local communities at the resource scale. With weak local social capital, degrees of government involvement did not make any difference; the fisheries were unsustainable in all cases. The prime role for governments in small-scale fisheries in developing countries therefore seems to be as intelligently absent as possible, by way of respecting, protecting, and supporting local institutions.