Uneven paths in co-management: A comparative analysis of a shrimp and a lobster fishery based on Ostrom's design principles

This study compares two cases of shrimp and lobster fisheries in Brazil, evaluating their compliance with common-pool resource design principles. The analysis seeks to identify what factors contributed to their successes or failures and develop recommendations for strengthening these two management processes. The shrimp fishery showed more effective outcomes, mainly due to compliance with key principles like clearly defined boundaries (1 A, 1B), alignment of fishing regulations with local reality (2 A, 2B), fisher participation in rule-making (3), and recognition of fishers' rights (7). While the shrimp fishery is on a positive co-management path, the lobster fishery suffered from top-down management, unclear territorial boundaries, and regulations misaligned with local practices, leading to widespread illegal fishing of the resource. The study emphasizes the need to reinforce local governance, recognize fishers' rights, align fishery regulations with local realities, and improve monitoring and enforcement.