The purpose of this guide is to provide fisheries management facilitators in Hawai’i with a basic framework for creating a community led management plan. The steps outlined in this document build on procedures and knowledge gained from successful and ongoing planning projects in Hawai’i.
Develop a shared understanding of the fishery and the challenges being faced based on scientific & local knowledge. The community expresses values and concerns, and identifies their collective vision.
Use collective values and vision, to start creating more specific management goals and objectives. Goals establish the results the community would like to achieve at a high level. Objectives should be specific, quantitative and measurable outcomes that will help the community to achieve its larger goal.
Identify all of the management interventions eligible for consideration that could potentially meet (either alone or with other interventions) the management objectives.
Evaluate the benefits, costs and tradeoffs of different management interventions or combinations of interventions to see which ones would best meet the management objectives.
Select preferred management interventions and work with a resource agency to draft a comprehensive management plan.
Cultivate a broader understanding of the management plan through community engagement and communication in coordination with respective resource agencies.
Secure voluntary or legislative rules that support the community’s decision(s).
Collect information to understand if the management intervention(s) has succeeded in meeting the management objectives, and to support adaptive management and learning opportunities.