Title: Community fisheries management (CFM): future consideration for Vanuatu

Community fisheries management (CFM) was introduced in Vanuatu almost a decade ago. Today, most of Vanuatu’s coastal zone fisheries are under the CFM system. However, it appears that the current CFM is inefficient, weak and unsustainable. In this study, the actual form of CFM in Vanuatu is described and compared to the Arnason design principles for an efficient CFM. According to Arnason’s approach, CFM is a form of property rights regime. It was found that the Arnason design principles existed to some certain degree in CFM in Vanuatu. The CFR appeared to exist as moderately strong. However, it was not efficiently utilised because of the set-up and organisation of the communities. Nevertheless, there is overall practical applicability in the context of CFM in Vanuatu.