The article discusses how managing shared resources like fisheries can be challenging due to overuse and poor management. Self-governance, where user groups control the resource, can be successful by aligning extraction rates with resource productivity and creating rules to prevent free riders. Successful self-governance cases have been seen worldwide. The research proposes a method to assess the potential for self-governance based on user group perceptions. Testing this approach in a Mexican fishery showed insights on the feasibility and desirability of changing governance. Predicting the success of self-governance can help efficiently manage shared resources and save resources spent on ineffective policies.