The blessing of the commons : small-scale fisheries, community property rights, and coastal natural assets

The first part of this paper describes the nature of the oceans and human use of the living natural assets therein. It discusses the technology and institutional arrangements through which coastal communities interacted with these living resources, and the political economy of the movement from small-scale to large-scale fishing operations and from community rights to open access. The second part of the paper examines the potential of natural asset-building strategies. This draws upon examples from the Asia-Pacific region to highlight how small-scale, community-based fishing is both ecologically and economically suited to make a blessing of the coastal commons that will simultaneously ensure sustainable natural resource use and community well-being. Key words: Community property rights, small-scale fisheries, natural assets JEL Classification : D 23, Q22, Q32