Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Governing fisheries through the critical decade: the role and utility of polycentric systems

  • Reviews
  • Published:
Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The next 10 years are considered a critical decade for fisheries. Declining fish stocks in combination with mounting climate pressure are likely to lead to significant and adverse socio-ecological impacts, threatening sustainability. Responding to these challenges requires modes of governance that are capable of dealing with the complexity and uncertainty associated with the world’s fisheries and their ecosystems. While a range of governance frameworks exist, the concept of polycentric governance has gained prominence in the environmental sector and is posited as a key principle underpinning the resilience of complex socio-ecological systems. However, the application of polycentric governance to fisheries management has been seldom explored. To examine this prospect, we review the literature on polycentric governance to elucidate its potential value in improving the outlook for fisheries and their associated ecosystems. We highlight a number of unique characteristics that overcome known limitations in other forms of governance—polycentric systems are highly participatory and promote the broadest levels of stakeholder involvement, they increase policy freedom at the local level, and they improve the spatial fit between knowledge, action and socio-ecological contexts to ensure that governance responses are implemented at the most appropriate scale. Through fisheries case-studies, we demonstrate that these characteristics are important in helping fisheries respond to complex challenges. Finally, we articulate key knowledge gaps that should be addressed through future research to understand the conditions under which polycentric governance systems are most suited, and the ways in which they can be operationalised most effectively.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acheson JM (1997) The politics of managing the Maine Lobster Industry: 1860 to the present. Hum Ecol 25:3–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Acheson JM (2003) Capturing the commons: devising institutions to manage the Maine Lobster Industry. University Press of New England, Lebanon

    Google Scholar 

  • Alcala AC, Russ GR (2006) No-take marine reserves and reef fisheries management in the Philippines: a new people power revolution. Ambio 35:245–254

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander SM, Armitage D, Charles A (2015) Social networks and transitions to co-management in Jamaican marine reserves and small-scale fisheries. Glob Environ Change 35:213–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander SM, Andrachuk M, Armitage D (2016) Navigating governance networks for community-based conservation. Front Ecol Environ 14(3):155–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aligica PD, Tarko V (2012) Polycentricity: from Polanyi to Ostrum, and beyond. Governance 25(2):237–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allison EH, Perry AL, Badjeck M-C, Adger N, Brown K, Conway D, Halls AS, Pilling GM, Reynolds JD, Andrew NL, Dulvy NK (2009) Vulnerability of national economies to the impacts of climate change on fisheries. Fish Fish 10(2):173–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alston LJ, Libecap G, Mueller B (1999) Titles, conflicts and land use: the development of property rights and land reform on the Brazilian frontier. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson K, Ostrom E (2008) Analyzing decentralised natural resource governance from a polycentric perspective. Policy Sci 41(1):1–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson K, van Laerhoven F (2007) From local strongman to facilitator: institutional incentives for participatory municipal governance in Latin America. Comp Pol Stud 40:1085–1111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armitage DR, Plummer R, Berkes F, Arthur RI, Charles AT, Davidson-Hunt IJ, Diduck AP, Doubleday NC, Johnson DS, Marschke M, McConney P, Pinkerton EW, Wollenberg EK (2009) Adaptive co-management for social ecological complexity. Front Ecol Environ 7:95–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aswani S, Hamilton RJ (2004) Integrating indigenous ecological knowledge and customary sea tenure with marine and social science for conservation of bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) in the Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands. Environ Conserv 31:69–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basurto X, Nenadovic M (2012) A systematic approach to studying fisheries governance. Glob Policy 3:222–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell JD, Ganachaud A, Gehrke PC, Griffiths SP, Hobday AJ, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Johnson JE, Le Borgne R, Lehodey P, Lough JM, Matear RJ, Pickering TD, Pratchett MS, Gupta AS, Senina I, Waycott M (2013) Mixed responses of tropical Pacific fisheries and aquaculture to climate change. Nat Clim Change 3(6):591–599

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett E, Neiland A, Anang E, Bannerman P, Rahman AA, Huq S, Bhuiya S, Day M, Fulford-Gardiner M, Clerveaux W (2001) Towards a better understanding of conflict management in tropical fisheries: evidence from Ghana, Bangladesh and the Caribbean. Mar Policy 25:365–376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkes F (2009) Evolution of co-management: role of knowledge generation, bridging organizations and social learning. J Environ Manage 90:1692–1702

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Biggs R, Schlüter M, Biggs D, Bohensky EL, Burnsilver S, Cundill G, Dakos V, Daw T, Evans LS, Kotschy K, Leitch AM, Meek C, Quinlan A, Raudsepp-Hearne C, Robards MD, Schoon ML, Schultz L, West PC (2012) Toward principles for enhancing the resilience of ecosystem services. Ann Rev Environ Resour 37:421–428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birner R, Wittmer H (2004) On the ‘efficient boundaries of the state’: the contribution of transaction-costs economics to the analysis of decentralization and devolution in natural resource management. Environ Plan C 22:667–685

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bodin O, Crona BI (2009) The role of social networks in natural resource governance: what relational patterns make a difference. Glob Environ Change 19:366–374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bodin O, Prell C (2011) Social networks and natural resource management: uncovering the social fabric of environmental governance. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Borgatti SP, Halgin DS (2011) On network theory. Org Sci 22:1168–1181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Branch TA, Watson R, Fulton EA, Jennings S, McGilliard CR, Pablico GT, Ricard D, Tracey SR (2010) The trophic fingerprint of marine fisheries. Nature 468:431–435

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brander K (2012) Climate and current anthropogenic impacts on fisheries. Clim Change 119(1):9–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bundy A, Chuenpagdee R, Jentoft S, Mahon R (2008) If science is not the answer, what is? An alternative governance model for the world’s fisheries. Front Ecol Environ 6:152–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burns T, Stöhr C (2011) Power, knowledge, and conflict in the shaping of commons governance. The case of EU Baltic fisheries. Int J Commons 5(2):233–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camp EV, Pine WE III, Havens K, Kane AS, Walters CJ, Irani T, Lindsey AB, Morris JG Jr. (2015) Collapse of a historic oyster fishery: diagnosing causes and identifying paths towards increased resilience. Ecol Soc 20(3):45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter SR, Mooney HA, Agard J, Capistrano D, DeFries RS, Diaz S, Dietz T, Duraiappah AK, Oteng-Yeboah A, Miguel Pereira H, Perrings C, Reid WV, Sarukhan J, Scholes RJ, Whyte A (2009) Science for managing ecosystem services: beyond the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106:1305–1312

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chaffin BC, Garmestani AS, Gosnell H, Craig RK (2016) Institutional networks and adaptive water governance in the Klamath River Basin, USA. Environ Sci Pol 57:112–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung WWL, Watson R, Pauly D (2013) Signature of ocean warming in global fisheries catch. Nature 497:365–368

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cochrane K (2016) An integrated view of fisheries: tunnelling between silos. ICES J Mar Sci. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsw198

    Google Scholar 

  • Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) (2009) Regional plan of action: coral triangle initiative on coral reefs, fisheries and food security (CTI-CFF), security. The coral triangle initiative on coral reefs, fisheries, and food security

  • Cornell S, Berkhout F, Tuinstra W, Tàbara JD, Jäger J, Chabay I, de Wit B, Langlais R, Mills D, Moll P, Otto IM, Petersen A, Pohl C, van Kerkhoff L (2013) Opening up knowledge systems for better responses to global environmental change. Environ Sci Pol 28:60–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crona BI, Bodin O (2006) What you know is who you know? Communication patterns among resources extractors as a prerequisite for co-management. Ecol Soc 11:7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowder LB, Osherenko G, Young OR, Airamé S, Norse EA, Baron N, Day JC, Douvere F, Ehler CN, Halpern BS, Langdon SJ, McLeod KL, Ogden JC, Peach RE, Rosenberg AA, Wilson JA (2006) Resolving mismatches in US ocean governance. Science 313:617–618

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham R, Cvitanovic C, Measham T, Jacobs B, Dowd AM, Harman B (2016) Engaging communities in climate adaptation: the potential of social networks. Clim Pol 16(7):894–908

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cvitanovic C, Hobday AJ, van Kerkhoff L, Wilson SK, Dobbs K, Marshall NA (2015) Improving knowledge exchange among scientists and decision-makers to facilitate the adaptive governance of marine resources: a review of knowledge and research needs. Ocean Coast Manage 112:25–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cvitanovic C, McDonald J, Hobday AJ (2016) From science to action: principles for undertaking environmental research that enables knowledge exchange and evidence-based decision-making. J Environ Manage 183:864–874

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cvitanovic C, Cunningham R, Dowd AM, Howden M, van Putten I (2017) Using social network analysis to monitor and assess the effectiveness of knowledge brokers at connecting scientists and decision-makers: an Australian case study. Environ Policy Gov. doi:10.1002/eet.1752

    Google Scholar 

  • Degnbol P, Gislason H, Hanna S, Jentoft S, Raakjar Nielsen J, Sverdrup-Jensen S, Wilson DC (2006) Painting the floor with a hammer: technical fixes in fisheries management. Mar Pol 30:534–543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doney SC, Ruckelshaus M, Duffy JE, Barry JP, Chan F, English CA, Galindo HM, Grebmeier JM, Hollowed AB, Knowlton N, Polovina J, Rabalais NN, Sydeman WJ, Talley LD (2012) Climate change impacts on marine ecosystems. Ann Rev Mar Sci 4:11–37

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dowd AM, Marshall N, Fleming A, Jakku E, Gaillard E, Howden M (2014) The role of networks in transforming Australian agriculture. Nat Clim Change 4:558–563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Driessen PPJ, Glasbergen P, Verdaas C (2001) Interactive policy-making: a model of management for public works. Euro J Oper Res 128:322–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Driessen PPJ, Dieperink C, van Laerhoven F, Runhaar HAC, Vermeulen WJV (2012) Towards a conceptual framework for the study of shifts in modes of environmental governance—experiences from the Netherlands. Environ Policy Gov 22:143–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunne JA, Williams RJ, Martinez ND (2002) Food-web structure and network theory: the role of connectance and size. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99:12917–12922

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Earl S, Carden F, Smutylo T (2001) Outcome mapping: building learning and reflection into development programs. International Development Centre, Ottawa

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehler CN (2003) Indicators to measure governance performance in integrated coastal management. Ocean Coast Manage 46:335–345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evely AC, Pinard M, Reed MS, Fazey I (2011) High levels of participation in conservation projects enhance learning. Conserv Lett 4:116–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Favero M, Gatto P, Deutsch N, Pettenella D (2016) Conflict of synergy? Understanding interaction between municipalities and village commons (regole) in polycentric governance of mountain areas in the Veneta Region, Italy. Int J Commons 10:821–853

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fazey I, Fazey JA, Fischer J, Sherren K, Warren J, Noss RF, Dovers SR (2007) Adaptive capacity and learning to learn as leverage for social-ecological resilience. Front Ecol Environ 5:375–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fazey I, Evely AC, Reed MS, Stringer LC, Kruijsen J, White PVL, Newsham A, Jin L, Cortazzi M, Phillipson J, Blackstock EN, Sheate W, Armstrong F, Blackmore C, Fazey J, Ingram J, Gregson J, Lowe P, Morton S, Trevitt C (2013) Knowledge exchange: a review and research agenda for environmental management. Environ Conserv 40:19–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Few R (2001) Containment and counter-containment: planner/community relations in conservation planning. Geogr J 167:111–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Few R (2003) Participation or containment? Insights from the planning of protected areas in Belize’. In: Pugh J, Potter RB (eds) Participatory planning in the Caribbean: lessons from practice. Ashgate, Aldershot, pp 23–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleming A, Hobday AJ, Farmery A, Van Putten EI, Pecl GT, Green BS, Lim-Camacho L (2014) Climate change risks and adaptation options across Australian seafood supply chains—a preliminary assessment. Clim Risk Manage 1:39–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Folke C, Pritchard L Jr., Berkes F, Colding J, Svedin U (2007) The problem of fit between ecosystems and institutions: 10 years later. Ecol Soc 12:30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Folke C, Chappin FS III, Olssom P (2009) Transformation in ecosystem stewardship. In: Chappin FS III, Kofinas GP, Folke C (eds) Principles of ecosystem stewardship: resilience-based natural resource management in a changing world. Springer, New York

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Frank KA, Yasumoto FY (1998) Linking action to social structures within a system: social capital within and between subgroups. Am J Sociol 104:642–686

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank KT, Petrie B, Choi JS, Leggett WC (2005) Trophic cascades in a formerly cod-dominated system. Science 308:1621–1623

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fulton EA, Smith ADM, Smith DC, Johnson P (2014) An integrated approach is needed for ecosystem based fisheries management: insights from ecosystem-level management strategy evaluation. PLoS ONE 9(1):e84242

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galaz V, Crona B, Österblom H, Olsson P, Folke C (2012) Polycentric systems and interacting planetary boundaries—emerging governance of climate change-ocean acidification-marine biodiversity. Ecol Econ 81:21–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaventa J (2006) Finding the spaces for change: a power analysis. IDS Bull 37(6):23–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gelcich S (2014) Towards polycentric governance of small-scale fisheries: insights from the new ‘Management Plans’ policy in Chile. Aquat Conserv Mar Freshw Ecosyst 24:575–581

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gelcich S, Hughes TP, Olsson P, Folke C, Defeo O, Fernández M, Folae S, Gunderson LH, Rodriguez-Sickert C, Scheffer M, Steneck RS, Castilla JC (2010) Navigating transformation in governance of Chilean marine coastal resources. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107:16794–16799

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gilmour PW, Dwyer PD, Day RW (2011) Beyond individual quotas: the role of trust and cooperation in promoting stewardship of five Australian abalone fisheries. Mar Pol 35:692–702

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant S, Berkes F (2007) Fisher knowledge as expert system: a case from the longline fishery of Grenada, the Eastern Caribbean. Fish Res 84:162–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin L (2009) Scales of knowledge: North Sea fisheries governance, the local fisherman and the European scientist. Environ Polit 18:557–575

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haedrich RL, Hamilton LC (2000) The fall and future of Newfoundland’s Cod fishery. Soc Nat Resour 13:359–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haggan N, Neis B, Baird I (2007) Fishers’ knowledge in fisheries science and management. UNESCO, Paris, p 437

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen GJA, Gaeta JW, Hansen JF, Carpenter SR (2015) Learning to manage and managing to learn: sustaining freshwater recreational fisheries in a changing environment. Fisheries 40:56–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardin G (1968) The tragedy of the commons. Science 162:1243–1248

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hobday AH, Cvitanovic C (2017) Preparing Australian fisheries for the critical decade—insights from the last 25 years. Mar Freshw Res. doi:10.1071/MF16393

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobday AJ, Arrizabalaga H, Evans K, Nicol S, Young JW, Weng KC (2015a) Impacts of climate change on marine top predators. Deep Sea Res Part II 113:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobday AJ, Bell JD, Cook TR, Gasalla MA, Weng KC (2015b) Reconciling conflicts in pelagic fisheries under climate change. Deep Sea Res II 113:291–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huppé GA, Creech H, Knoblauch D (2012) The frontiers of networks governance. International Institute for Sustainable Development, Winnipeg, p 37

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchings JA, Myers RA (1994) What can be learned from the collapse of a renewable resource? Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua, or Newfoundland and Labrador. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 51:2126–2146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson JBC, Kirby MX, Berger WH, Bjorndal KA, Botsford LW, Bourque BJ, Bradbury RH, Cooke R, Erlandson J, Estes JA, Hughes TP, Kidwell S, Lange CB, Lenihan HS, Pandolfi JM, Peterson CH, Steneck RS, Tegner MJ, Warner RR (2001) Historical overfishing and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems. Science 293:629–637

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jentoft S, Chuenpagdee R (2009) Fisheries and coastal governance as a wicked problem. Mar Pol 33:553–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johannes RE, Neis B (2007) The value of anecdote. In: Haggan N, Neis B, Baird I (eds) Fishers’ knowledge in fisheries science and management. UNESCO, Paris, pp 41–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Johannes RE, Freeman MMR, Hamilton RJ (2000) Ignores fishers’ knowledge and miss the boat. Fish Fish 1:257–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson C (2001) Community formation and fisheries conservation in Southern Thailand. Dev Change 32:951–974

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juntti M, Russel D, Turnpenny J (2009) Evidence, politics and power in public policy for the environment. Environ Sci Pol 12:207–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalikoski DC, Allison EH (2010) Learning and adaptation; the role of fisheries comanagement in building resilient social-ecological systems. In: Armitage D, Plummer R (eds) Adaptive capacity and environmental governance. Springer, London, pp 69–88

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kapoor I (2001) Towards participatory environmental management. J Environ Manage 63:269–279

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufmann D, Kraay A (2008) Governance indicators: where are we, where should we be going. World Bank Res Obs 23(1):1–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knoepfel P, Kissling-Näf I (1998) Social learning in policy networks. Policy Polit 26:343–367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knoke D, Yang S (2008) Social network analysis, 2nd edn. SAGE, Thousand Oaks

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lange P, Driessen PPJ, Sauer A, Bornemann B, Burger P (2013) Governing towards sustainability—conceptualizing modes of governance. J Environ Pol Plan 15(3):403–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lebel L, Anderies JM, Campbell B, Folke C, Hatfield-Dodds S, Hughes TP, Wilson J (2006) Governance and the capacity to manage resilience in regional social-ecological systems. Ecol Soc 11(1):19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemos MC, Agrawal A (2006) Environmental governance. Ann Rev Environ Res 31:297–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lim-Camacho L, Hobday AJ, Bustamante RH, Farmery A, Fleming A, Frusher S, Green BS, Norman-López A, Pecl GT, Plagányi EE, Schrobback P, Thebaud O, Thomas L, Van Putten I (2015) Facing the wave of change: stakeholder perspectives on climate adaptation for Australian seafood supply chains. Reg Environ Change 15:595–606

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Little LR, Punt A, Dichmont CM, Dowling NA, Smith DC, Fulton EA, Sporcic M, Gorton RJ (2015) Decision trade-offs for cost-constrained fisheries management. ICES J Mar Sci. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsv206

    Google Scholar 

  • Lockwood M, Davidson J, Hockings M, Haward M, Kriwoken L (2012) Marine biodiversity conservation governance and management: regime requirements for global environmental change. Ocean Coast Manage 69:160–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopes PFM, Rosa EM, Salyvonchyk S, Nora V, Begossi A (2013) Suggestions for fixing top-down coastal fisheries management through participatory approaches. Mar Pol 40:100–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Low B, Ostrom E, Simon C, Wilson J (2003) Redundancy and diversity: do they influence optimal management. In: Berkes F, Colding J, Folke C (eds) Navigating social-ecological systems: building resilience for complexity and change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 83–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Madin EMP, Ban NC, Doubleday ZA, Holmes TH, Pecl GT, Smith F (2012) Socio-economic and management implications of range-shifting species in marine systems. Glob Environ Change 22(1):137–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahon R, McConney P, Roy RN (2008) Governing fisheries as complex adaptive systems. Mar Pol 32:104–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marin A, Gelcich S, Castilla JC, Berkes F (2012) Exploring social capital in Chile’s coastal benthic comanagement system using a network approach. Ecol Soc 17(1):13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McIlgorm A, Hanna S, Knapp G, Le Floc’h P, Millerd F, Pan M (2010) How will climate change alter fisheries governance? Insights from seven international case studies. Mar Pol 34:170–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melnychuk MC, Peterson E, Elliott M, Hilborn R (2016) Fisheries management impacts on target species status. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114:178–183

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Murray G, Bavington D, Neis B (2005) Local ecological knowledge, science, participation and fisheries governance in Newfoundland and Labrador: a complex, contested and changing relationship. Participation in fisheries governance. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 269–290

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Nagle JC, Ruhl JB (2002) The law of biodiversity and ecosystem management. Found Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Newig J, Fritsch O (2009) Environmental governance: participatory, multi-level and effective? Environ Policy Gov 19:197–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newig J, Günther D, Pahl-Wostl C (2010) Synapses in the network: learning in governance in the context of environmental management. Ecol Soc 15(4):24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nieves J, Osorio J (2013) The role of social networks in knowledge creation. Knowl Man Res Pract 11:62–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norman-Lopez A, Plaganyi E, Skewes T, Poloczanska E, Dennis D, Gibbs M, Bayliss P (2013) Linking physiological, population and socioeconomic assessments of climate-change impacts on fisheries. Fish Res 148:18–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogier EM, Davidson J, Fidelman P, Haward M, Hobday AJ, Holbrook NJ, Hoshino E, Pecl GT (2016) Fisheries management approaches as platforms for climate change adaptation: comparing theory and practice in Australian fisheries. Mar Pol 71:82–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orchard SE, Stringer LC (2016) Challenges to polycentric governance of an international development project tackling land degradation in Swaziland. Ambio 45:796–807

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Orensanz JML, Armstrong J, Armstrong D, Hilborn R (1998) Crustacean resources are vulnerable to serial depletion—the multifaceted decline of crab and shrimp fisheries in the Greater Gulf of Alaska. Rev Fish Biol Fish 8:117–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom V (1962) The political economy of water development. Am Econ Rev 52:450–458

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom E (2010) Polycentric systems for coping with collective action and global environmental change. Glob Environ Change 20:550–557

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom V, Tiebout CM, Warren R (1961) The organization of government in metropolitan areas: a theoretical enquiry. Am Polit Sci Rev 55:831–842

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom E, Park RB, Whitaker GP (1978) Patterns of metropolitan policing. Ballinger Publishing Company, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Pantazidou M (2012). What next for power analysis? A review of recent experience with the powercube and related frameworks. IDS working paper 400

  • Parrott L, Meyer WS (2012) Future landscape: managing within complexity. Front Ecol Environ 10:382–389

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pauly D, Zeller D (2016) Catch reconstructions reveal that global marine fisheries catches are higher than reported and declining. Nat Commun 7:10244

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Pauly D, Watson R, Alder J (2005) Global trends in world fisheries: impacts on marine ecosystems and food security. Philos Trans R Soc B 360:5–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pietri DM, Stevenson TC, Christie P (2015) The coral triangle initiative and regional exchanges: strengthening capacity through a regional learning network. Glob Environ Change 33:165–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plagányi EE, Weeks SJ, Skewes TD, Gibbs MT, Poloczanska ES, Norman-López A, Blamey LK, Soares M, Robinson WML (2011) Assessing the adequacy of current fisheries management under changing climate: a southern synopsis. ICES J Mar Sci 68:1305–1317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Platteau J-P, Gaspart F (2003) The risk of resource misappropriation in community-driven development. World Dev 31:1687–1703

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polanyi M (1951) The logic of liberty. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Polis GA, Strong DR (1996) Food web complexity and community dynamics. Am Nat 147(5):813–846

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poloczanska ES, Babcock RC, Butler A, Hobday AJ, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Kunz TJ, Matear R, Milton DA, Okey TA, Richardson AJ (2007) Climate change and Australian marine life. Oceanogry Mar Biol 45:407–478

    Google Scholar 

  • Pomeroy RS, Carlos MB (1997) Community-based coastal resource management in the Philippines: a review and evaluation of programs and projects, 1984–1994. Mar Pol 21:445–464

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pomeroy R, Parks J, Pollnac R, Campson T, Genio E, Marlessy C, Holle E, Pido M, Nissapa A, Boromthanarat S, Thu Hue N (2007) Fish wars: conflict and collaboration in fisheries management in Southeast Asia. Mar Policy 31:645–656

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prell C (2012) Social network analysis: history, theory and methodology. Sage, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Provan KG, Kenis P (2007) Modes of network governance: structure, management, and effectiveness. J Publ Adm Res Theor 18(2):229–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punt AE, A’mar T, Bond NA, Butterworth DS, de Moor CL, De Oliveira JAA, Haltuch MA, Hollowed AB, Szuwalski C (2013) Fisheries management under climate and environmental uncertainty: control rules and performance simulation. ICES J Mar Sci. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fst057

    Google Scholar 

  • Raja NM, Kuperan B, Pomeroy KB, Abdullah RS (1998) Transaction costs and fisheries co-management. Mar Resour Econ 13:103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ratner BD, Oh EJV, Pomeroy RS (2012) Navigating change: second-generation challenges of small-scale fisheries co-management in the Philippines and Vietnam. J Environ Manage 107:131–139

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ratner BD, Mam K, Halpern G (2014) Collaborating for resilience: conflict, collective action, and transformation on Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake. Ecol Soc 19(3):31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raymond CM, Fazey I, Reed MS, Stringer LC, Robinson GM, Evely AC (2010) Integrating local and scientific knowledge for environmental management. J Environ Manage 91:1766–1777

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reed M (2008) Stakeholder participation for environmental management: a literature review. Biol Conserv 141:2417–2431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reisner M (1986) Cadillac desert. Penguin Books USA Inc., London

    Google Scholar 

  • Rice JC, Garcia SM (2011) Fisheries, food security, climate change, and biodiversity: characteristics of the sector and perspectives on emerging issues. ICES J Mar Sci 68(6):1343–1353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice JC, Rochet MJ (2005) A framework for selecting a suite of indicators for fisheries management. ICES J Mar Sci 62:516–527

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rijsoort J, Jinfeng Z (2005) Participatory resource monitoring as a means for promoting social change in Yunnan, China. Biodivers Conserv 14:2543–2573

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rohlf DJ (1991) Six biological reasons why the Endangered Species Act doesn’t work—and what to do about it. Conserv Biol 5:273–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose GA (2004) Reconciling overfishing and climate change with stock dynamics of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) over 500 years. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 61(9):1553–1557

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg AA, Bolster WJ, Alexander KE, Leavenworth WB, Cooper AB, McKenzie MG (2005) The history of ocean resources: modelling cod biomass using historical records. Front Ecol Environ 3:78–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runhaar H, Driessen PPJ, Soer L (2009) Sustainable urban development and the challenge of policy integration: an assessment of planning tools for integrating spatial and environmental planning in the Netherlands. Environ Plan B 36:417–431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russ GR, Alcala AC (1999) Management histories of Sumilon and Apo Marine Reserves, Philippines, and their influence on national marine resource policy. Coral Reefs 18:307–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan D, Toews C, Sanchirico JN, Armsworth PR (2017) Implications of policy adjustment costs for fisheries management. Nat Res Model 30:74–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sainsbury KJ, Punt AE, Smith ADM (2000) Design of operational management strategies for achieving fishery ecosystem objectives. ICES J Mar Sci 57:731–741

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salinger J, Hobday AJ, Matear RJ, O’Kane TJ, Risbey JS, Dunstan PK, Eveson JP, Fulton EA, Feng M, Plaganyi EE, Poloczanska ES, Marshall AG, Thompson PA (2016) Decadal-scale forecasting of climate drivers for marine applications. Adv Mar Biol 74:1–68

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sardar Z (2010) Welcome to postnormnal times. Futures 42:435–444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schrank WE, Arnason R, Hannesson R (eds) (2003) The cost of fisheries management. Ashgate, Aldershot

    Google Scholar 

  • Siebenhüner B, Suplie J (2005) Implementing the access and benefit-sharing provision of the CBD: a case for institutional learning. Ecol Econ 53:507–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silvano RAM, Begossi A (2012) Fishermen’s local ecological knowledge on Southeastern Brazilian coastal fisheries: contributions to research, conservation, and management. Neotrop Ichthyol 10:133–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith ADM, Fulton EA, Hobday AJ, Smith DC, Shoulder P (2007) Scientific tools to support practical implementation of ecosystem based fisheries management. ICES J Mar Sci 64:633–639

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson RL, Paul S, Pastoors MA, Kraan M, Holm P, Wiber M, Mackinson S, Dankel DJ, Brooks K, Benson A (2016) Integrating fishers’ knowledge research in science and management. ICES J Mar Sci 73:1459–1465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stringer LC, Dougill AJ, Fraser E, Hubacek K, Prell C, Reed MS (2006) Unpacking “participation” in the adaptive management of social-ecological systems: a critical review. Ecol Soc 11:39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trimble M, Berkes F (2013) Participatory research towards co-management: lessons from artisanal fisheries in coastal Uruguay. J Environ Manage 128:768–778

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Kerkhoff L, Lebel L (2015) Coproductive capacities: rethinking science-governance relations in a diverse world. Ecol Soc 20(1):14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker B, Salt D (2006) Resilience thinking: sustaining ecosystems and people in a changing world. Island Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Weschler LF (1968) Water resource management: The Orange county experience. California government series, no 14. University of California, Institute of Governmental Affairs

  • Williamson OE (1999) Public and private bureaucracies: a transaction cost economics perspectives. J Law Econ Org 15(1):306–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson DC, Raakjaer J, Degnbol P (2006) Local ecological knowledge and practical fisheries management in the tropics: a policy brief. Mar Pol 30:794–801

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worm B, Hilborn R, Baum JK, Branch TA, Collie JS, Costello C, Fogarty MJ, Fulton EA, Hutchings JA, Jennings S, Jensen OP, Lotze HK, Mace PM, McClanahan TR, Minto C, Palumbi SR, Parma AM, Ricard D, Rosenberg AA, Watson R, Zeller D (2009) Rebuilding global fisheries. Science 325:578–585

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zann LP (1999) A new (old) approach to inshore resources management in Samoa. Ocean Coast Manage 42:569–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Robert Stephenson for useful comments and discussions that greatly improved this manuscript, and the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions. Financial support was provided by the Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania and CSIRO, Australia.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Cvitanovic.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cvitanovic, C., Hobday, A.J., McDonald, J. et al. Governing fisheries through the critical decade: the role and utility of polycentric systems. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 28, 1–18 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-017-9495-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-017-9495-9

Keywords

Navigation