Publisher's Synopsis
In this illuminating new book, James M. Acheson examines the management of the lobster industry. He shows that resource degradation is not inevitable. Indeed, the Maine lobster fishery is one of the most successful fisheries in the world. Catches have been stable since World War II, and record highs have been achieved since the late 1980s. According to Acheson, these high catches are due, in part, to the institutions generated by the lobster-fishing industry to control fishing practices. Rational choice theory frames Acheson's study. Rational choice theorists believe that the overexploitation of marine resources stems from the common-pool nature of these resources. In fisheries, what is rational for the individual fishermen can lead to disaster for the society. The Maine lobster industry is very unusual in that it has solved a series of such problems by creating three different sets of regulatory controls: groups of lobster fishermen have generated informal territorial rules; some groups have been able to devise rules to control the number of traps they fish; and the industry as a whole has been very successful in lobbying Maine lawmakers to enact formal conservation legislation.;In recent years, the industry has successfully influenced new regulations at the federal level and has developed a strong co-management system with the Maine government. The importance of Capturing the Commons is twofold: it provides a case study of the management of one highly successful fishery, which can serve as a management model for policy makers and local communities; and it adds to the body of theory concerning the conditions under which people will and will not devise institutions to manage natural resources.
