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Enforcement Approaches Against Illegal Fishing In National Fisheries Legislation, Blaise Kuemlangan, Elizabeth-Rose Amidjogbe, Julia Nakamura, Alessandra Tomassi, Rudolph Hupperts, Buba Bojang, Teresa Amador

Security Research Hub Reports

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities are amongst the most serious and persisting global concerns that negatively impact the environment, economy, and livelihoods. The concept of IUU fishing is elaborated under Para 3 of the 2001 International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IPOA-IUU) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In this article, the authors narrow the focus of the discussion herein on ‘illegal fishing’ activities, which generally fall under Para 3.1 of the IPOA-IUU, particularly examining the enforcement approaches against illegal fishing activities in national fisheries …

Tracking Elusive And Shifting Identities Of The Global Fishing Fleet, Jaeyoon Park, Jennifer Van Osdel, Joanna Turner, Courtney M. Farthing, Nathan A. Miller, Hannah L. Linder, Guillermo Ortuno Crespo, Gabrielle Carmine, David A. Kroosma

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Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing costs billions of dollars per year and is enabled by vessels obfuscating their identity. Here, we combine identities of ~35,000 vessels with a decade of GPS data to provide a global assessment of fishing compliance, reflagging patterns, and fishing by foreign-owned vessels. About 17% of high seas fishing is by potentially unauthorized or internationally unregulated vessels, with hot spots of this activity in the west Indian and the southwest Atlantic Oceans. In addition, reflagging, a tactic often used to obscure oversight, occurs in just a few ports primarily by fleets with high foreign ownership. …

[Usa] Maritime Security And Fisheries Enforcement (Safe) Act, United States Congress

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The Maritime SAFE act is a bill introduced by the 116th US Congress to address IUU fishing and related activities as a national security threat.

Managing Fish Or Governing Fisheries? An Historical Recount Of Marine Governance In The Context Of Latin America – The Ecuadorian Case, Center For Maritime Research

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The narratives and images about ocean and its governance, their use and value have deep roots in human history. Traditionally, the contemporary images of fish and fisheries have been shaped under the cultural construction of power, wealth and exclusion, and also as one of poverty and marginalization. This perception was formed on early notions of natural (marine) access and use that were born within the colonial machinery that ruled the world from the Middle Ages until late XVII. This research explores the historical overview of marine usage and governance in Latin America, from a ‘critical approach to development’ perspective, by …

Revealing Global Risks Of Labor Abuse And Illegal, Unreported, And Unregulated Fishing, Elizabeth R. Selig, Shinnosuke Nakayama, Colette C.C. Wabnitz, Henrik Osterblom, Jessica Spijkers, Nathan A. Miller, Jan Bebbington, Jessica L. Decker Sparks

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Labor abuse on fishing vessels and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing violate human rights, jeopardize food security, and deprive governments of revenues. We applied a multi-method approach, combining new empirical data with satellite information on fishing activities and vessel characteristics to map risks of labor abuse and IUU fishing, understand their relationships, and identify major drivers. Port risks were globally pervasive and often coupled, with 57% of assessed ports associated with labor abuse or IUU fishing. For trips ending in assessed ports, 82% were linked to labor abuse or IUU fishing risks. At-sea risk areas were primarily driven by …

Hotspots Of Unseen Fishing Vessels Illuminate Areas Of Concern For Illegal, Unreported And Unregulated Fishing, Heather Welch, Tyler Clavelle, Timothy D. White, Megan A. Cimino, Jenneifer Van Osdel, Timothy Hochberg, David Kroodsma, Elliot L. Hazen

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Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing incurs an annual cost of up to US$25 billion in economic losses, results in substantial losses of aquatic life, and has been linked to human rights violations. Vessel tracking data from the automatic identification system (AIS) are powerful tools for combating IUU, yet AIS transponders can be disabled, reducing its efficacy as a surveillance tool. We present a global dataset of AIS disabling in commercial fisheries, which obscures up to 6% (>4.9 M hours) of vessel activity. Disabling hot spots were located near the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Argentina and West African …

Fish Crimes In The Global Oceans, Dyhia Belhabib, Phillippe Le Billon

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This study provides a global assessment of the linkages between observed fisheries-related offenses across the world’s oceans between 2000 and 2020. We analyze data from the largest existing repository with 6853 events reporting offenses across 18 fishing-related categories, including illegal fishing, human rights abuses, and smuggling. We find that at least 33% of all recorded offenses are associated with 450 industrial vessels and 20 companies originating from China, the EU, and tax haven jurisdictions. We observe links between various types of offenses for 779 vessels, with such “transversal criminality” involving 2000 offenses and crimes globally. This study demonstrates the ability …

A Framework To Guide Research Engagement In The Policy Process, With Application To Small-Scale Fisheries, Blake D. Ratner, Mark J. Dubois, Tiffany H. Morrison, Xavier Tezzo, Andrew M. Song, Emmanuel Mbaru, Sloans K. Chimatiro, Phillipa J. Cohen

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Research-engaged decision making and policy reform processes are critical to advancing resilience, adaptation, and transformation in social-ecological systems under stress. Here we propose a new conceptual framework to assess opportunities for research engagement in the policy process, building upon existing understandings of power dynamics and the political economy of policy reform. We retrospectively examine three cases of research engagement in small-scale fisheries policy and decision making, at national level (Myanmar) and at regional level (Pacific Islands region and sub-Saharan Africa), to illustrate application of the framework and highlight different modes of research engagement. We conclude with four principles for designing …

Fishy Business: Regulatory And Enforcement Challenges Of Transnational Organised Iuu Fishing Crimes, Andrea A. Stefanus, John A.E. Vervaele

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The article aims to find the answer on the main question of how can the criminalisation of IUU fishing, especially when committed by OCGs, under suppression conventions tackle the deficits of regulations and enforcement at the international and national levels? These deficits have origin in the limited prescription by international fisheries instruments and a large autonomy and discretion of states leading to substantive divergent policies, legal framework and practices at the national level. Further, the actual international fisheries instruments do not provide for regulatory and enforcement solutions in relation to the involvement of OCGs in IUU fishing. We argue that …

Checklists And Technical Guidelines To Combat Illegal, Unreported And Unregulated (Iuu) Fishing, Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations (Un Fao)

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The purpose of this document is to aggregate the coastal, flag and port State responsibilities to combat IUU fishing contained in select international fisheries instruments within a single reference document. The responsibilities are presented as a checklist, in questionnaire format. The document aims to serve both as a reference document for professionals as well as an assessment tool for practitioners, in order to facilitate the identification of legal, policy, institutional and operational weaknesses at the national level when implementing coastal, flag and port State responsibilities to combat IUU fishing. This is the first volume in the series of “Checklists and …

A Trade-Based Analysis Of The Economic Impact Of Non-Compliance With Illegal, Unreported And Unregulated Fishing: The Case Of Vietnam, Nguyen Hoai Thong Nam, Nguyen Tien Hang Le

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Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a threat to the sustainable use of fishing . To eliminate the destructive fishing practices, the whole value chain of fish trade needs to be well regulated. Trade-related policy measures show potential for contributing towards the elimination of unsustainable fishing practices. The EU’s launch of the IUU-combating fishing program and the introduction of measures to deal with countries that exploit, produce and export fishery products with illegal fishing origin, is indispensable in addressing harmful trends and a concern of the whole world, especially the fishing community. The program includes the flagship use of …

Transhipment And The Fcwc Region: Case Studies, West Africa Task Force, Trygg Mat Tracking, Norad

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"This collection of case studies aims to highlight the diverse and complex role that transhipment plays.

They illustrate different types of operations and, unless specific non-compliance is mentioned, are not intended to imply non-compliance. The cases provide indications as to which features and factors can be taken into consideration to determine the IUU risk associated with specific operations." Trygg Mat Tracking

Spatio-Temporal Determination Of Small-Scale Vessels’ Fishing Grounds Using A Vessel Monitoring System In The Southeastern Gulf Of Mexico, Edgar Torres-Irineo, Silvia Salas, Jorge Ivan Euan-Avila, Leopoldo E. Palomo, Daniel R. Quijano Quinones, Eva Coronado, Rocio Joo

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In most small-scale fisheries (SSF), there is limited or null information about the distribution and spatial extent of the fishing grounds where the fleets operate, due to the lack of explicit spatial and temporal data. This information is key when addressing marine spatial planning and fisheries management programs for SSF. In addition to technical or biogeographic restrictions, environmental conditions in the area influence the way fishers operate. Making use of data from a pilot Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) project tested in a small-scale fleet in the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico (SGoM), for the first time in the region, we were …

Contested Borders: Organized Crime, Governance, And Bordering Practives In Colombia-Venezuela Borderlands, Viviana Garcia Pinzon, Jorge Mantilla

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"Based on the conceptualizations of organized crime as both an enterprise and a form of governance, borderland as a spatial category, and borders as institutions, this paper looks at the politics of bordering practices by organized crime in the ColombianVenezuelan borderlands. It posits that contrary to the common assumptions about transnational organized crime, criminal organizations not only blur or erode the border but rather enforce it to their own benefit. In doing so, these groups set norms to regulate socio-spatial practices, informal and illegal economies, and migration flows, creating overlapping social orders and, lastly, (re)shaping the borderland. Theoretically, the analysis …

Fisheries Intelligence Report, Trygg Mat Tracking, Global Fishing Watch

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This report has been jointly produced by Global Fishing Watch and Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT) on request of Somalia..

Estimating Illegal Fishing From Enforcement Officers, C. Josh Donlan, Chris Wilcox, Gloria M. Luque, Stefan Gelcich

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While illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a premier issue facing ocean sustainability, characterizing it is challenging due to its clandestine nature. Using Chile as an example, researchers present a structured process leveraging existing capacity, fisheries officers, that provides a monitoring tool to produce transparent and stand-alone estimates on the level, structure, and characteristics of illegal fishing.

Data-Driven Approach For Highlighting Priority Areas For Protection In Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, Morgan E. Visalli, Benjamin D. Best, Reniel B. Cabral, William W.L. Cheung, Nichola A. Clark, Cristina Garilao, Kristin Kaschner, Kathleen Kesner-Reyes, Vicky Q.Y Lam, Sara M. Maxwell

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One of the aims of the United Nations (UN) negotiations on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) is to develop a legal process for the establishment of area-based management tools, including marine protected areas, in ABNJ. Here we use a conservation planning algorithm to integrate 55 global data layers on ABNJ species diversity, habitat heterogeneity, benthic features, productivity, and fishing as a means for highlighting priority regions in ABNJ to be considered for spatial protection. We also include information on forecasted species distributions under climate change. We found that parameterizing the planning …

Oceana Finds 300 Chinese Vessels Pillaging Thegalapagos For Squid, Oceana

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The Galapagos Islands are an oasis for ocean wildlife with more than 20% of their marine speciesi found nowhere else on Earth. This remote area, nearly 900 kilometers off Ecuador’s coast, was once a “living laboratory” that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. But today, the Galapagos is under siege by an industrial fishing fleet. In one month (July 13 – Aug. 13) nearly 300 Chinese vessels appeared to amass more than 73,000 hours fishing off the Galapagos Islands. This snapshot of fishing activity raises questions about the impact of this massive fishing armada on the oceans it sails

Unregulated Fishing On The High Seas Of The Indian Ocean, Trygg Mat Tracking, World Wildlife Fund

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This report shows exactly when, where, and how unregulated fishing is happening in the Indian Ocean and its impacts on threatened species.

The Intersection Between Illegal Fishing, Crimes At Sea, And Social Well-Being, Mary Mackay, Britta Denise Hardesty, Chris Wilcox

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Illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing is a major contributor to global overfishing, threatening food security, maritime livelihoods, and fisheries sustainability. An emerging narrative in the literature posits that IUU fishing is associated with additional organized criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, slavery, and arms smuggling. This literature review resolves the contradiction between the common narrative that fisheries and other crimes are linked by presenting three distinct business models for maritime criminal activities.

Collateral Damage? Small-Scale Fisheries In The Global Fight Against Iuu Fishing, Andrew M. Song, Joeri Scholtens, Kate Barclay, Simon R. Bush, Michael Fabinyi, Dedi S. Adhuri, Milton Haughton

Security Research Hub Reports

This report focuses on the impact of IUU fishing and regulations on small-scale fisheries and the potential inappropriate targeting of small-scale fisheries due to the linkage of IUU fishing to organized crime.

The State Of World Fisheries And Aquaculture: Sustainability In Action, Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations

Security Research Hub Reports

“The 2020 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture continues to demonstrate the significant and growing role of fisheries and aquaculture in providing food, nutrition and employment. It also shows the major challenges ahead despite the progress made on a number of fronts. For example, there is growing evidence that when fisheries are properly managed, stocks are consistently above target levels or rebuilding, giving credibility to the fishery managers and governments around the world that are willing to take strong action. However, the report also demonstrates that the successes achieved in some countries and regions have not been …

Toward Transparent Governance Of Transboundary Fisheries: The Case Of Pacific Tuna Transshipment, Katherine Seto, Nathan Miller, Mark Young, Quentin Hanich

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Transparency is one of the most influential themes in global environmental governance, however it has received limited treatment in transboundary fisheries. Transparency is essential to ensure officials are held accountable for the use of public and the achievement of environmental objectives, such as sustainable harvest. Here, we use a case study approach to assess transparency in transboundary fisheries governance, evaluating transshipment in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, one of the world's most abundant and lucrative fisheries. Transshipment at sea occurs extensively in these fisheries, but often lacks strong monitoring and oversight, and has been associated with illegal or illicit …

Ocean-Scale Footprint Of A Highly Mobile Fishing Fleet: Social-Ecological Drivers Of Fleet Behaviour And Evidence Of Illegal Fishing., Claire Collins, Ana Nuno, Aloka Benaragama, Annette Broderick, Isuru Wijesundara, Dilhara Wijetunge, Tom B. Letessier

Security Research Hub Reports

Managing the footprint of highly mobile fishing fleets is increasingly important due to continuing declines in fish populations. However, social-ecological drivers for fisher behaviour remain poorly understood for many fleets globally. Using the Sri Lankan fleet as a case study, we explored the role of social, environmental and policy drivers of effort distribution and illegal fishing. We used semi-structured interviews and participatory mapping with 95 fishers, combined with explanatory modelling (GLM) and multivariate statistics, including principal component analysis (PCA). Our findings highlighted the broad footprint (~3,800,000 km2) of this fleet, with fishing effort expended in high seas (53.9%), domestic (40.9%) …

Human And Climatic Drivers Affect Spatial Fishing Patterns In A Multiple-Use Marine Protected Area: The Galapagos Marine Reserve, Anthony Charles, Mauricio Castrejon

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Assessments of the effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) usually assume that fishing patterns change exclusively due to the implementation of an MPA. This assumption increases the risk of erroneous conclusions in assessing marine zoning, and consequently counter-productive management actions. Accordingly, it is important to understand how fishers respond to a combination of the implementation of no-take zones, and various climatic and human drivers of change. Those adaptive responses could influence the interpretation of assessment of no-take zone effectiveness, yet few studies have examined these aspects. Indeed, such analysis is often unfeasible in developing countries, due to the dominance of …

High Expectations. Interregional Agendas On Global Security Challenges: East Asia, Europe And Latin America, Juan Pablo Soriano

Security Research Hub Reports

"Interregionalism has been increasingly used to advance cooperation on regional and global security challenges. This study examines three interregional dialogues comprising East Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Each interregional security agenda reflects specific concerns and different evolving paths. Insights from ‘multilateral security governance’ approaches can reinforce the analysis of how security agendas emerge and change, and how their related norms and practices evolve."

A Carding System As An Approach To Increasing The Economic Risk Of Engaging In Iuu Fishing?, U. Rashid Sumaila

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This report outlines how a carding system may work to reduce IUU fishing in in a countries' waters by banning the exportation of fish to the European Union after being issued a "red card".

Foreign Illegal, Unreported, And Unregulated Fishing In Somali Waters Perpetuates Conflict, Sarah M. Glaser, Paige M. Roberts, Kaija J. Hurlburt

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Somali waters have high fisheries production potential, but the sustainability of those fisheries is compromised by the presence of foreign fishing vessels, many of them fishing illegally. The Somali domestic fishing sector is small and relatively nascent, but foreign vessels have fished in Somali waters for at least seven decades. Some foreign vessels and their crew have been a direct, physical threat to Somali artisanal fishers. Many foreign vessels directly compete for fish, reducing fish populations and destroying marine habitat through bottom trawling. In this paper, we reconstruct foreign catch in Somali waters from 1981–2014 and classify the health of …

Detecting Suspicious Activities Atsea Based On Anomalies In Automatic Identification Systems Transmissions, Jessica H. Ford, David Peel, David Kroodsma, Britta Denise Hardesty, Uwe Rosebrock, Chris Wilcox

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One fundamental problem with Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) transmission is the issue of gaps in transmissions. This report provides a spatial statistical model to identify gaps in AIS transmission, within the Arafura Sea, which allows calculation of the probability that a given gap is due to intentional disabling.

The Marking And Identification Of Fishing Vessels, Food & Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations, Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission, European Commission, The World Bank, Stop Illegal Fishing

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This report is a briefing on the marking and identification of fishing vessels, for the Western Central Atlantic Fisheries Commission (WECAFC).