Leadership, Control Mechanisms and Networks for Sustainable Fishing

The purpose of this article was to analyse how fisheries governance can be improved when there is low enforcement capacity by state＇s institutions. Based on the theoretical arguments from the neo-institutionalism and the social capital approaches, the findings of this research point to the role of fishing cooperatives＇ structural organization on the attitude of individuals to comply with regulations. Using a most similar comparative method, it was found that fishers with higher scores of compliance belong to cooperatives that have an outstanding leader, control mechanisms, as well as multi-actor external networks which connect the organization with other networks and thus facilitate the access to knowledge, technology and activities related to conservation and sustainable fishing. The findings of the research coincide with other studies about the importance of leadership that enable good fishing management. This may help in the design of different strategies to address situations with low state capacity to ensure compliance and contribute to solve problems of commons, such as the one in marine fisheries.