Decentralization, regionalization and co-management. A critical view on the viability of the alternative management models for fisheries in Spain

From the recession that marked the 1980s onward, the search for new management systems for the fishing sector has been one of the main aims of the forces in charge of devising and settling the guidelines for fishing industry development. Among the different choices that may be presented (centralization, devolved management, self-management of fishing communities, etc), co-management--understood as strong cooperation between the different participants of the fishing industry--is seen as one of the most favoured and practicable options. However, acting as a counterbalance to the advantages offered by a co-management system, there are many problems that make its implementation difficult: the inflexibility of the civil administration system, the lack of cohesion between fishermen's organizations, the unreliability of statistics about the fishing sector, and the lack of channels of communication between the different authorities in charge of the management of the sector. This article will analyse the particular instance of Spain, where the fishing sector is marked by diversity, and where fishing co-management stands as an alternative for the territories that aredependent on this industry.