Aarset, Bernt (1995) Herding the Coastal Commons; Or How to Manage Cod asLivestock

Conference: Presented at "Reinventing the Commons," the fifth annualmeeting of the International Association for the Study of CommonProperty, Bodoe, Norway, May 24-28, 1995.

Abstract: "Norwegians have experimented with enhancement of marinefish stocks for more than 100 years in order to increase the output of the fisheries. The present effort is conducted as a transdisciplinary program, involving both policymakers as well as the research community. This paper/poster addresses the questions:

1. What is the design of the institutional 'landscape' where cod-herding takes place?

2. What is the opportunity for the new activity to thrive in this landscape?

3. What are the alternatives, or scenarios?

"The framework of future cod-herding is based on biological as well as social, political, and cultural considerations. This paper draws on different lines in contemporary research, as management of marine CPRs, production of cod fry, characterization of a coastal cod stock, and recruitment patterns and knowledge production in fishing communities. This research is in particular focussed on the future role of the Fisherman's Union and other main fishery organizations, alternative regimes for regulation of the capture, and organization of the fish trade."