For two decades the idea of governments and fishers working together to manage fisheries has been advocated, questioned, disparaged and, most importantly, attempted in fisheries from North and South America through Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. This book is the first time these experiences have been pulled together in a single volume, summarized and explained. The Fisheries Co-management Experience begins with a review of the intellectual foundations of the co-management idea from several professional perspectives. Next, fisheries researchers from six global regions describe what has been happening on the ground in their area. Finally, the volume offers a set of reflections by some of the best authors in the field. The end result describes both the state-of-the-art and emerging issues for one of the most important trends in natural resources management.

From the reviews:

"The strength of The Fisheries Co-management Experience lies in its ability to demonstrate the breadth and hope of co-management as an alternative to hierarchical governance that exludes local knowledge."

"This is an extraordinary challenge for a scholarly text and kudos goes to the editors for putting forth the effort."
(Policy Sciences 37, 2004)

"Editors Wilson, Nielson and Degnbol have organized The Fisheries Co-management Experience from a broad outline of topics related to fisheries co-management. ? The strength of The Fisheries Co-management Experience lies in its ability to demonstrate the breadth and hope of co-management as an alternative to hierarchical governance that excludes local knowledge. ? kudos goes to the editors for putting forth the effort." (Karl A. Wunderlich, Policy Sciences, Issue 37, 2004)