Co-management and Rights-based Approaches: the role of governance and tenure in the Striped venus (Chamelea gallina) clam fishery of the gulf of Cádiz

This study analyses the Andalusian coastal governance, with special emphasis on the cofradía co-management system, and the distribution of rights in the Striped venus clam (Chamelea gallina) fishery in a case study focused on the fleets of mechanized dredge in the gulf of Cádiz, south-western Spain. The objective is to evaluate if the coastal Andalusian governance and the distribution of fishing rights are contributing or not to the sustainability of the fishery of Striped venus. The governance assessment tool developed by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has been used for analysis if the attributes of the coastal governance are contribution to the sustainability of the fishery. Also, the effect of the fishing right over fishermen individual behaviour has been estimated using the property rights´ economic characteristics assessment, combining methodologies used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission (EC). The results shows that lack of cohesion self-organization and cooperation between the cofradías of the gulf of Cádiz, additionally to a poor enforcement, are making the cofradía co-management system ineffective. Moreover, no real fishing communal rights re in place and the individual fishing license system has low exclusivity. Additionally, the security provided by the right can also be threatened due to the ineffective co-management and enforcement. This general weakness of property right can be leading the fishers to act in a non-sustainable way