Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
1984
). Beyond these demarcated sea areas under these three categories, fishing by
hook and line, trapping and net are generally open access.
In addition, detailed rules regarding fishing gear, season and daily access apply
to specific fisheries. Furthermore, entry rights to particular fishing grounds are not
always open access, but limited to some extent. Lotteries are often used to determine
entry rights. In Yaeyama Islands, a lottery has been adopted in lift net fishery to
distribute exclusive rights to use coral rocks (Akimichi
2004a
). Informal territoriality
is recognized among small-scale set net fishing in coral reefs in Itoman, Okinawa
(Akimichi
1984
). In other cases, fishing grounds are freely used, although competi-
tion and conflicts over their use potentially exist. It is likely that there is a bundle
of fishing rights, whose details, especially regarding enforcement, require close
examination.
Conclusion
The notion that local inhabitants have rights to harvest local marine resources
within the territory of the community is often ignored. However, fisheries rights
under the Fisheries Law can be contested. Indeed, rights and entitlements to harvest
marine resources for one's own livelihood of local coastal communities should be
acknowledged as local commons within community based marine resource
management.
Although territorial waters are generally claimed as the nation's property and
fall within national jurisdiction, in the sub-tropical and tropical waters of Asia and
the Pacific, the sea effectively belongs to everyone. Therefore, local people are
allowed to harvest marine resources both for daily subsistence and commodity
production. Yet, many conflicts have been witnessed among neighboring communities
as well as between local fishing communities and outside fishers over the use of
marine resources (Akimichi
2004a
). In this chapter, we have proposed that the
unfolding Japanese model of managing the local commons in the Yaeyama
archipelago may provide useful examples in resource co-management via shared
empowerment amongst diverse stakeholders.
Acknowledgments
The author is particularly grateful to Mr. Kinsei Ishigaki (for advice and
collaboration), Dr. Kenji Kajiwara (for fieldtrip assistance and cooperation), Dr. Masahito
Kamimura and Mr Seikoh Kuroshima (for advice and suggestions). Financial assistance from the
Joint Study Program on
Sato-yama
and
Sato-umi
(project chair: Professor Watanabe, Keio
University) is gratefully acknowledged.
References
Akimichi T (1984) Territorial regulation of small-scale fisheries in Itoman, Okinawa. In: Ruddle K,
Akimichi T (eds) Maritime institutions in the Western Pacific. Senri ethnological studies
no.17, pp 89-120
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