Individual tenure and commercial management of Myanmar's inland fish resources

Abstract

This chapter presents the current state of knowledge on "Inn" fisheries, an important fisheries management regime in Myanmar. The presentation made is based on a comprehensive review of literature, some original research data and the authors' extended combined experiences working in Myanmar. The chapter starts by revisiting the origin of the "Inn" system, shedding light on the chain of events that led to its generalization under the British occupation. It further explores how fisheries statistics are derived in Myanmar and warn about the possible underestimation of the importance of "Inn" fisheries. Recent history is then used to consider how the liberalization of the economy might pose some fundamental problems of equity and sustainability. The authors further present how these fisheries relate to wider inter-sectoral considerations in the context of rural development before finally offering some suggestions to guide future research efforts in Myanmar.