Co-management: the resolution of conflict between commercial and recreational fishers in Victoria, Australia

Conflict between recreational and commercial fishers over access to fisheries resources in inshore Victorian waters intensified through the 1980s and 1990s. In response to pressure from angling bodies, the government of Victoria commissioned a co-management approach to review fish resource use in nine of Victoria's bays and inlets and to recommend action. The Council concluded that environmental degradation posed a far more serious threat to long-term resource security for both recreational and commercial fishers than the effects of fishing by both sectors. It recommended that there be no short-term re-allocation of resources between the two sectors. Acceptance of the recommendations by both commercial and recreational sectors endorsed the Victorian co-management model for inshore fisheries conflict resolution and resource allocation. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.