South Indian Trawl Fisheries - Assessing Their Governability

As governance occurs through interaction between governors and the governed, an investigation of the conditions that facilitate ‘better’ interaction, and improve governability, is worthwhile. We argue on the basis of the interactive governance approach that one such condition is a proper match between the system-to-be-governed and the governing system. This match is conceptualized as having two dimensions: architectural compatibility and attunement. The possibilities of this assessment approach are studied in the context of the trawl fisheries in the Palk Bay, South India. The trawl fleet in this region developed rapidly since the 1960s, and has engaged in lively conflicts with small-scale fisheries on the Indian, and more recently on the Sri Lankan side of the Bay. The non-synchronization of fishing areas with administrative boundaries constitutes an important governance challenge, as is environmental pressure.