| Summary: | This thesis traces the development of fisheries co-management in the Philippines.
In the Philippines, the concept of co-management was first brought to the attention of
local people by development agencies through their projects on community-based coastal
resources management (CBCRM). After the legislation of the Local Government Code in
1991 and the Fisheries Code in 1998, co-management has not only directed the daily
operation of local governments units but the daily life of local people, as well. CBCRM
projects operated with the implicit aim to educate fishers about the physical environment.
They also transferred technical skills to divert activities away from the sea to land (a
vision of development highly influenced by scientific claims to reduce fishing efforts).
Here lies the paradox. Co-management assumes decisions taken by local people emanate
from "local voices," yet CBCRM projects have been working hard under prescribed set
of ideas. The academic literature is not different. Students of social institutions
surrounding property, for example, are also engaged in the rhetorical use of the concept
'community' to advance the idea of co-management. Based on field research on a fishing
island in Central Philippines, this thesis illustrates how economic policies of the
government have forced inhabitants to shift from farming to fishing. The result is the
current intensification of fishing efforts. This situation directs attention to the possible
harm that the combination of Western or science-derived principles and government's
power to legislate might bring. Issues raised are discussed in light of emerging
perspective from students of indigenous knowledge.
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