The livelihoods approach and management of small-scale fisheries

An approach to poverty reduction in low-income countries known as the 'sust ainable livelihoods approach' is applied to understanding the strategies of artisanal fisherfolk confronted by fluctuating fisheries resources. The li velihood approach is explained, and the insights it provides into conventio nal fisheries management policies in developing countries are explored. It is argued that both state-led management and some of the newer, community o r territorial use-rights approaches, if predicated on an incomplete underst anding of livelihoods, can result in management directives incompatible wit h both resource conservation and the social and economic goals of managemen t. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.