Revisiting Fish Wars: Conflict and Collaboration over Fisheries in Indonesia

The result of overfishing in Indonesia, as in other Southeast Asian nations, is lower productivity of fisheries, high levels of conflict among different users, increasing impoverishment of fishers, and erosion of food security in coastal communities that are highly dependent on fish supplies for protein and income. It is becoming clear that the challenge for resource managers and national decision makers is to choose more appropriate governance and management approaches for the fishery resources in Indonesia in order to address overfishing and increasing conflict. This article examines the performance of co-management in managing fisheries conflicts in Indonesia over time. Utilizing survey data from 2004 and 2009, this study confirms the hypothesis that co-management can serve to deter fisheries resources conflicts.