Comanagement in Northwest Russian Fisheries

• Published in: Society & natural resources Vol. 13; no. 7; pp. 635 - 648
• Main Author: Nilssen, Geir Hønneland, Frode
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Informa UK Ltd 01.10.2000
• Subjects: decision making; fisheries management; Russia; The Barents Sea Comanagement Fisheries Management Legitimacy Northwestern Russia Russian Fisheries Management; Russia
• ISSN: 0894-1920; 1521-0723
• DOI: 10.1080/08941920050121918

This article provides a presentation of the fisheries management system of northwestern Russia. The main theoretical question is whether it is meaningful to discuss the issue of comanagement in a post-Soviet context. On the one hand, there is a considerable degree of user-group participation in this particular fishery, generating a positive effect in terms of legitimacy and user-group influence. On the other hand, the legacy from Soviet corporatism calls for a certain caution in classifying the particular system as comanaged. The unclear distinction between "government" and "user groups" in particular makes this problematic. Comanagement theory presupposes by its very nature a clear separation between different interest groups in society. In empirical settings where such separation is not obvious, it might be argued that the perspective loses some of its significance.