Facing an Uncertain Future: A Governability Assessment of Coastal Communities in the Great Northern Peninsula, Newfoundland

The tip of the Great Northern Peninsula (GNP) of Newfoundland, Canada, has undergone a large magnitude of social and economic change since the downturn in the groundfish fishery in the early 1990s. The declining population... [ view full abstract ]

The tip of the Great Northern Peninsula (GNP) of Newfoundland, Canada, has undergone a large magnitude of social and economic change since the downturn in the groundfish fishery in the early 1990s. The declining population trend, which is projected to continue in the next few decades, adds to the concern. The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is seen as one area of opportunity for revitalizing the region. In order for the GNP to fully benefit from CETA, a comprehensive examination of the fisheries system is required. This includes an understanding of the natural and social characteristics of the fisheries, the fisheries policy and management institutions, as well as the internal and external factors that affect how they function and perform. The likely effects of the free trade doctrine promoted in CETA on the goal of maintaining the viability and integrity of small-scale fisheries is a facet of the research. Interactive governance theory, with its focus on the ‘system-to-be-governed,’ ‘governing systems,’ and ‘system of governing interactions,’ is applied to examine this question. Assessing the compatibility of CETA’s policies with the values of the coastal communities of the GNP allows the governance system of the region to promote its goals in an environment that is increasingly focused on global economic benefits rather than local ones.