Co-management practices in small-scale fisheries: the case of Beach Management Units (BMUS) in Eastern Africa

The implementation of BMUs in both the lake and on the coast over the past two decades has provided a number of lessons which if addressed would strengthen BMUs as an effective tool in fisheries management. Beach Management Units (BMUs) are legally empowered communities that serve as the backbone of fisheries co-management of Eastern Africa, both on Lake Victoria and on the coast, led by the Fisheries Departments in Kenya,Tanzania and Uganda. This Policy Brief is a synthesis of series of reports based on activities conducted under the project ‘Strengthening Institutional Capacity to enhance governance of the fisheries sector in Africa’, Project number: DCI-FOOD 2013/331 -056’ funded by the EU.