Governing 'Spaces of Interaction' for Sustainable Fisheries

This paper introduces the concept of 'spaces of interaction' to determine how existing market-based governance tools improve participation and deliberation between actors along fish value chains. Exploring these linkages through the sociology of environmental flows and interactive governance theory the paper discusses: (1) how market-based governance tools facilitate interaction within national and international value chains; (2) which links they target; and (3) what key actors they involve. Three market-based governance tools are compared -Das Fisch-o-Meter, the Scottish Sustainable Haddock Project and the Marine Stewardship Council - to illustrate the structure and function of different market-based spaces of interaction. The paper concludes that by understanding the kinds of interactions that are facilitated by market-based governance arrangements we can determine their potential for fostering changes in consumption and production practices which ultimately lead to sustainable fisheries.