The interface between traditional and modern methods of fishery management in the Pacific Islands

The interactions between government and community in the management of reef and lagoon fisheries in the Pacific Islands region are described, and recommendations made concerning the types of interaction that are most constructive, and which should be encouraged in future. The argument is illustrated with three examples of positive government-community actions from the Pacific Islands – a Cook Islands community-moderated individual transferable quota system, a flexible arrangement in Fiji leading to an effective marine protected area, and a community-initiated gillnet ban in Fiji – and by a general discussion of negative interactions. The tendency of biologically trained fishery researchers to discount the role of the fishing community itself when describing and quantifying fisheries should be avoided, and there is a need to distinguish between those local initiatives arising from views that have evolved over centuries, and those arising from modern entrepreneurialism. It is suggested that a major advantage of community-mediated management is its diversity.