Northern waters: management issues and practice

The North Atlantic is one of the most productive fishing regions in the world; it has been a major centre for research and development in technology and innovatory forms of management. But it is also a region sorely troubled by failure to sustain fish stocks and levels of fishing activity. New issues present a challenge to the management systems; how to avoid institutional inertia and encourage flexible responses to the changing environment of fishing; and how to cope with pressures for integrated fisheries management based on an ecosystem approach. These and other issues are examined through contributions from scientists, economists, sociologists, political scientists and representatives of the fishing industry from around the North Atlantic region.