In this paper, social institutions created for the sustainable management of the fisheries resources of the region, are depicted as containing elements which are necessary for the development of co-management systems. They are also portrayed as undergoing processes of social change. Hence institutions being built in the region for the sustainable management of the fisheries resources are conceptualized as Ideal Types, to which the past and current operations of these institutions are compared, in order to arrive at an understanding of the present situation and to allow for the prediction of future trends.