Tackling the Global Fisheries Challenge 
November 14-15, 2012
Bozeman, Montana
Directed by: Donald R. Leal
Given the growing use of rights-based management in fisheries around the world, much has been written on its benefits and the challenges of its implementation under a variety of political and economic conditions.
In many of these cases a reasonable structure of governance can be assumed. Such is not the case when it comes to the so-called global fisheries, such as the tuna fishery. Because of weak or nonexistent governance, tuna fisheries are at a crossroads. A number of high profile stocks have been declared depleted while many others are fully exploited. Moreover, the problem of severe overcapitalization in many of these fisheries threatens their economic viability.
For this workshop, contributors and participants step back and consider the governance framework and challenges of these fisheries. As such, before the benefits of rights-based reforms can be realized, careful examinations are needed of current international entities such as regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), the suitability of the legal framework in place, as well as the possible roles for private (e.g., NGOs and industry) and public (national and international) interests in establishing property rights in these fisheries.
