Pellowe speaks with Mainebiz about benefits of co-managing fisheries

Mainebiz interviewed Kara Pellowe, a former University of Maine postdoctoral student, about the value of integrating local norms and fishermen’s knowledge into fisheries regulations. Pellowe, now based at the Stockholm Resilience Centre in Stockholm, Sweden, co-authored a study with Heather Leslie, director of the Darling Marine Center in Walpole, Maine, exploring the interplay between formal and informal institutions and the implications for the co-management potential of a Mexican small-scale fishery. They found that incorporating fishermen input into fishery rules can increase trust in fisheries management institutions, make it easier for co-management to work and increase success. The peer-reviewed scientific journal Marine Policy recently published the findings from Pellowe and Leslie. “I think that highlighting the value of explicitly drawing out local norms and increasing engagement of  shellfish committees with local harvesters directly links to the findings from our paper,” Pellowe said. The National Science Foundation shared the media release about the study from Pellowe and Leslie.