Inland commercial fisheries management in France

The French fisheries management regime is based on public and private owner ship of fishing waters associated with a complex multilevel management syst em. A total of 730 operational commercial inland fisheries were examined by analysis of thematic interviews and questionnaires. Commercial fishermen a re beginning to understand the nature of their own activity and its relatio nship to the concept of sustainable management. Nevertheless, fishermen hav e to face two major problems: first, they are poorly represented on decisio n making bodies where anglers are dominant, and secondly their activities a re governed by two separate ministries. Opportunities for future developmen t may lie in decision making at the catchment level.