Sea fox in the henhouse

One article writeup talked about Obama's decision to protect Alaska from oil drilling, saying that the decision about whether to drill should be up to Alaska Natives. I found an analogous situation closer to home: a community out on the Chesapeake, home to fish and shellfish harvesters called "watermen," two of whom were recently caught poaching tons of rockfish. The two owe large fines and will serve jail time, to the consternation of the locals, who think the punishment is ridiculous. People who rely on a fishery don't like to be told how to use that fishery. It's tough to monitor public goods, as we will soon be discussing in class.