THE GOOD, THE BAD, OR THE UGLY? ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES OF JAPANESE COASTAL FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

摘要

Japanese coastal fisheries management has been celebrated as a leading example of the success and potential of community-based self-regulation in fisheries. A more balanced understanding of community-based management and comanagement in Japan, especially self-imposed management among the fishers, calls for research that identifies not only the advantages but also the challenges of that system. A brief history of Japan's coastal fisheries management regime and a description of its structure and functioning today are followed by examination of four cases: hama-guri clams in Ibaraki Prefecture; abalone in Chiba Prefecture; summer flounder in Kanagawa Prefecture; and sandfish in Akita Prefecture. These cases illustrate advantages as well as challenges of the bottom-up management system.