Governance of the fishery industry: A new global context

Abstract The present importance of oceanic topics -fishery included- is characterized by the existence of conflicts at a global, not compartmentalized, level that no country can keep out of. The greatest awareness about questions linked to fishery resource sustainability - such as the need to arbitrate acts designed to regulate fishery access conditions; the application of different business strategies and conflicts among both national and international jurisdictions (high sea and transzonal areas). That is why the need of implementing new enhancements regarding behavior codes applied by producers, as well as regarding the decisions adopted by public authorities within the framework of fishery regulation, in the context of a Global Sustainable Development. The main objective of this work is reviewing the successive policies related to the management of the fishery resources, as well as to determine the key elements of the governance, in relation to the behavior of the actors involved in this activity. Fisheries management is also taken into consideration from the institutional level and from the actors involved. The information analyzed was obtained from an extensive review of the academic literature and through interviews with companies and personalities related to the fishing activity. As a conclusion, some measures are proposed to promote a better organizational functioning of the sector, eliminating the existing dysfunctional ones and reconciling conflicting interests. These measures suggest incorporating dimensions from ecosystems, socio-economic systems and institutional aspects. We conclude that management systems should be institutional agreements and administrative processes with the capacity to articulate a fisheries policy.