ABSTRACT
The use of the living marine resources plays an important economic and social role in the Nordic countries, but in some countries significantly more so than others. This chapter provides a brief introduction to basic fisheries economics and management as a background for understanding the major principles in the EU fisheries policy and Nordic member states' fisheries management systems, Nordic non-EU countries fisheries policies, and country-specific management initiatives. It focuses on the present systems and recent changes since 1983, the year the EU established a formal fisheries policy. The chapter describes the role of Rights-Based Management (RBM), as the property rights issue is key to understanding the (mis)management of the living resources in the oceans. In recent years, the idea of co-management as part of the management system has developed. Co-management is about stakeholder participation in fishery management and, through this involvement, to obtain a better outcome.
