Collaborative management explores opportunities within current fishery regulations and laws and provides an opportunity to make improvements in the management of octopus and other species fisheries. Challenges lie both in lack of capacity of Village Fisheries Committees but also the ability at Fisheries Department level to hand over management responsibilities to these committees. Officers are often unfamiliar with the principles of collaborative management and how it can improve fisheries management locally and assist the Department in discharging their responsibilities e.g. patrolling, local closures etc. Project leaders have involved Fisheries Department officers in all trainings of Village Fisheries Committees and ensured regular feedback to the Department's HQ. A manual has been compiled to assist Department officers and to guide Village Fisheries Committees. It includes sections on: · Standard operation procedures for Village Fisheries Committees · Mechanism for handling conflicts · Process for by-law formulation · Guidelines for record keeping · Strategy for self financing · Communication strategy