It sounds archaic during an age of GPS-tracked trawlers and
federal fishing quotas, yet a recent study found that community
leadership, even among non-fisherman, was the key ingredient to
stable, long-term fisheries both in developed or developing
countries. Instead of offering government dictates of quotas
(which will be ignored), communities need to decide for
themselves that saving fish is in their interest. “Community
leaders weren’t just important,” said the Nature study's lead
author Nicolás Gutiérrez in an interview with the magazine
Solutions, “they were by far the most important attribute
present in successful co-managed fisheries,” followed by
individual or community quotas, social cohesion, and protected
areas. The study also noted multiple management incentives
contributed to success in protecting fishery resources. The
study examined 130 managed fisheries in 44 countries with a
range of ecosystems and species. They exhibited a similar,
simple pattern: strong community leadership was the necessary