One billion people around the world rely upon fish as their primary—and in many cases, their only—source of protein. At the same time, increasing demand from wealthier populations in the U.S. and Europe encourages dangerous overfishing practices along coastal waters. Fish for Life addresses the problem of overfishing at local, national, and global levels as part of a comprehensive governance approach—one that acknowledges the critical intersection of food security, environmental protection, and international law in fishing practices throughout the world. ‘Fish for Life’ presents an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach to the governance of capture fisheries and aquaculture, with special reference to the circumstances of developing countries. Holistic in scope, and building on state-of-the-art understandings of the field, the authors argue for an interactive style of governance that takes account of the diversity, complexity, dynamics, and scales affecting marine ecology as well as human society. Governance, the authors argue, is the joint responsibility of governments, civil society, and market. The book is in five parts. The first part addresses the governance perspective. In the second part, the system to be governed is looked at because the challenge for fisheries governance is to resolve, as effectively and equitably as possible, the conflicts that result from seeking to simultaneously pursue the goals of maintaining a healthy ecosystem whilst continuing to derive social benefits from it. Institutions (especially their design and working), the instrument through which the formation and execution of fisheries governance occurs are discussed in the third part while the fourth and fifth parts deal with principles and prospects, respectively, of fisheries governance.