ABSTRACT
This chapter presents state politics involves the institutional realm, which has the legitimate authority to define and enforce property rights. A comparative analysis of the politics of aquaculture development in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will be provided through an overview of the role of coastal and state politics in the articulation of property rights. The politics of incorporation extend beyond the integration of the herring weir and salmon farming industries; they also include the participation of fishers in decision-making. The politics of aquaculture development initially occur within a framework that does not favor the representation of aquaculture capital. Memorandums of Understanding signed with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick facilitated provincial control over the licensing and leasing of aquaculture sites. The chapter concludes with an overview of the implications of the conflict over property rights in aquaculture for research on the privatization of common property rights along the coastal margin.
