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Coastal Governance pp 163–184Cite as

Fisheries

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Part of the book series: Foundations of Contemporary Environmental Studies ((FCES))

Abstract

Fishing is one of the oldest uses of the sea. Until the 1990s commercial harvest steadily increased in the United States because of advances in technology and the growing appetite of a larger population for seafood. Now, this is no longer the case. The switch from apparently ever-increasing abundance to a plateau, or at times decline, has proven particularly difficult. Both understanding the biological system—given its dramatic fluctuation from year to year—and having the basis for a management system that is respectful of natural limits, individual livelihoods, and coastal communities has proven challenging in many geographic regions. A combination of lower populations for some stocks and regulated reductions in fishing effort has resulted in declining harvest. Future management will need to reconcile the desire for harvest with the capability of the natural system. Ecosystem management integrates human needs within ecological systems and provides new perspectives for fisheries management. This chapter describes ecosystem approaches for fisheries and explains how governance either is or might change to accommodate them.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Prof. Richard Burroughs

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  1. Prof. Richard Burroughs
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Correspondence to Richard Burroughs .

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© 2011 Richard Burroughs

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Burroughs, R. (2011). Fisheries. In: Coastal Governance. Foundations of Contemporary Environmental Studies. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-016-3_10

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