Going regional: COMPESCA’s 20-year experience as a model for small-scale fisheries co-management in the central coast of Brazil

Abstract

This article analyzes the State Co-Management Committee for the Sustainable Development of Fishery (COMPESCA), established in 2003 in Espírito Santo, the central coast of Brazil. We combined participant observation and document analysis with two evaluation frameworks: the co-management typology by Pomeroy et al. [6] and the participation criteria proposed by Rowe and Frewer [46]. COMPESCA achieved a “cooperative” level of co-management and performed strongly in the participatory evaluation criteria of representativeness, transparency, task definition, and early involvement, while showing moderate results in influence, independence, decision-making structure, and cost-effectiveness. Results show that COMPESCA played a central role in regional fisheries governance by promoting dialogue between fishers, government, and other stakeholders, influencing national regulations, and achieving significant advances in shrimp fishery management. Despite constraints such as limited resources, institutional instability, and external pressures, COMPESCA has remained resilient for two decades due to its participatory design, balanced representation, stable leadership, organizational continuity, and ability to mediate conflicts. These attributes position it as a model of local co-management, functioning as an “intermediate regional participatory entity” that effectively addresses the complexity of small-scale fisheries governance. By bridging local and national levels, COMPESCA demonstrates the potential of state-level forums to expand co-management spaces, strengthen decentralized governance, and support adaptive fisheries management in Brazil and other countries.