The eighteenth Century English commons: A model for ocean management

Ocean management institutions have not kept pace with our technical ability to exploit ocean resources. In contrast to the fragmented management procedures currently in practice, long term ocean sustainability requires a comprehensive, coordinated management approach. Common property, while often advanced as the cause of overexploitation of ocean resources, may in fact be the institutional arrangement with the greatest potential to control ocean use. This paper presents the 18th Century English commons as an example of a successful resource management institution which coordinated multiple resource uses, was flexible to changing environmental conditions, and embodied community control. The historical record on the enclosure of the commons suggests parallels with current privatization efforts which raise troubling distributional questions. Issues central to the adaptation of the commons structure to current ocean management needs are discussed.