Search Results (26)

Addressing the illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the water beyond its jurisdiction poses a significant challenge for China as it aims to establish itself as a responsible participant in global fishing governance. Inadequate regulation and enforcement largely contribute to the increase in the suspected illegal fishing by Chinese vessels, fishing enterprises, and crew members. In 2020, China revised the RDWF (2020) to address the growing issues of IUU fishing. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the RDWF (2020) in addressing China’s IUU fishing in distant water. This paper concludes that RDWF (2020) represents an incremental advancement in China’s initiatives to eliminate IUU fishing. RDWF (2020) emphasizes the government’s responsibilities in regulating vessel quantities and ensuring accurate reporting. Furthermore, RDWF (2020) adopts measures to fulfill China’s responsibilities under RFMOs. Additionally, RDWF (2020) expands the roster of operators liable for penalties and delineates IUU fishing activities that necessitate sanctions. Ultimately, RDWF (2020) develops an evaluation system to monitor compliance with anti-IUU fishing obligations as stipulated by international treaties and Chinese laws and regulations. However, RDWF (2020) encounters limitations that may impede its effectiveness in addressing IUU fishing, such as the lack of responsibilities assigned to administrative bodies, insufficient penalties for serious IUU fishing activities, and inadequate compliance with international standards for sustainable fishing. This paper provides policymakers specific recommendations for improving the identified areas of RDWF (2020) and offers insights for distant-water fishing nations that are grappling with significant IUU fishing issues to make gradual improvements in combating IUU fishing. Full article

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing significantly threatens marine ecosystems, disrupts the ecological balance of the oceans, and poses serious challenges to global fisheries management. This contribution presents the efficacy of China’s summer fishing moratorium using BeiDou vessel monitoring system (VMS) data from 2805 fishing vessels in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea, integrated with a deep learning framework for spatiotemporal analysis. A preprocessing protocol addressing multidimensional noise in raw VMS datasets was developed, incorporating velocity normalization and gap filling to ensure data reliability. The CNN-BiLSTM hybrid model emerged as optimal for fishing behavior classification, achieving 89.98% accuracy and an 87.72% F1 score through synergistic spatiotemporal feature extraction. Spatial analysis revealed significant policy-driven reductions in fishing intensity during the moratorium (May–August), with hotspot areas suppressed to sporadic coastal distributions. However, concentrated vessel activity in Zhejiang’s nearshore waters suggested potential illegal fishing. Post-moratorium, fishing hotspots expanded explosively, peaking in October and clustering in Yushan, Zhoushan, and Yangtze River estuary fishing grounds. Quarterly patterns identified autumn–winter 2021 as peak fishing seasons, with hotspots covering >80% of East China Sea grounds. The framework enables real-time fishing state detection and adaptive spatial management via dynamic closure policies. The findings underscore the need for strengthened surveillance during moratoriums and post-ban catch regulation to mitigate overfishing risks. Full article

The European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) ranks among the most valuable species of Iberian fisheries, and the accurate tracing of its geographic origin, once landed, is paramount to securing sustainable management of fishing stocks and discouraging fraudulent practices of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The present study investigated the potential use of S. pilchardus white muscle fatty acids (FAs) to successfully discriminate the geographic origin of samples obtained in seven commercially important fishing harbors along the Iberian Atlantic Coast. While 35 FAs were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in the white muscle of S. pilchardus, the following, as determined by the Boruta algorithm, were key for sample discrimination: 14:0, 22:6n-3, 22:5n-3, 18:0, 20:5n-3, 16:1n-7, 16:0, and 18:1n-7 (in increasing order of relevance). An average 83% correct allocation of landed specimens was achieved, with some landing locations presenting 100% correct allocation (e.g., Ría de Pontevedra in northern Spain and Peniche in central Portugal). Linear discriminant analysis revealed a separation of samples from northern Spain and Peniche, and a partial overlap of all other locations. The present results highlight the potential of using FAs of S. pilchardus white muscle to reliably discriminate the geographic origin of landed individuals along the Iberian Atlantic coast. Full article

The Peruvian grunt Anisotremus scapularis is one of the most appreciated fish in Peruvian national markets. However, its reduced and irregular fishery is a paradigm of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) in the Peruvian–Chilean coastal region. An important technological advancement has been achieved in the last decade in capture, management, nutrition, and broodstock maintenance to boost pilot experiences on the aquaculture of this species. Therefore, it is pertinent to evaluate the economic viability of this candidate species to identify cultivation bottlenecks, optimize the process, and assess the transfer feasibility of the technical know-how to interest groups. In this study, we performed a sensitivity analysis to assess how market price and production size should make its commercialization profitable. We show that the use of photovoltaic solar panels and a raw production cycle of 15 months enables profitability at a ~400 k unit farm size at a commercial market price of 6.67 USD/kg, i.e., B/C = USD 1.14. Both, time to market and market price exerted the highest influence on the value of grunt farms; whereas, a reduction of the production cycle to 12 months by seed selection, optimized rearing conditions, and nutritional diets also provides a profitable investment, i.e., NPV = USD 287,054 with an IRR = 23.71% at a discount rate of 10% and B/C = USD 1.15. These scenarios pave the way for the transfer of technological know-how to entrepreneurial initiatives in the economically depressed coastal region of the Atacama Desert. Full article

Recently, there has been a rapid increase in the use of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) worldwide, partly due to the continued loss of marine biodiversity and habitat. The sustainability of marine resources is threatened in all regions of the world by major events such as climate change, marine pollution, and overfishing, as well as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing both on the high seas and in country waters. Here, we present a comprehensive review and analysis of how economic information has been applied and used to inform decisions about MSP in British Columbia (BC), Canada, and other similar jurisdictions around the world. This focus for the paper was selected because important gaps remain in the literature in terms of incorporating economic questions into MSP. We first present different definitions of MSP, and then we extract useful lessons from MSP regimes with well-tested decision support tools (DSTs) and use this to guide MSP implementation in BC. Finally, we present and discuss case studies from Australia, South Africa, and Belgium. Our review suggests that applying economic information to support the design and implementation of MSPs would lead to better decisions. This in turn would foster livelihoods, attract finance, increase buy-in, and advance United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, thereby achieving Infinity Fish, i.e., ensuring that ocean benefits flow to humanity forever. Full article

Although Eurasia’s Caspian basin once supported the world’s richest and most diverse complex of sturgeon species, recent human activities have decimated populations of these ecologically and economically important fish. All five anadromous Caspian sturgeon species are critically endangered, and the potamodromous sterlet is also threatened. The precipitous decline of these species is due to a combination of factors that includes illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; destruction of feeding and spawning habitat; water pollution; and the environmental consequences of climate change. International efforts are currently underway to re-establish sustained naturally reproducing sturgeon populations in the basin. Here, we update and review the status of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea with emphasis on the northern basin and the inflowing Volga and Ural rivers. We then focus on efforts to restore sturgeon in the Ural, which originates in Russia and flows through Kazakhstan before entering the Caspian Sea. With nearly ideal hydrological conditions for sturgeon, the Ural is the basin’s sole remaining river that allows migrating sturgeon unimpeded access to potentially productive spawning grounds. The challenge of re-establishing sturgeon in the Ural River exhibits the classical characteristics of wicked problems: ambiguous definitions, changing assumptions and unanticipated consequences, tradeoffs and economic dependencies, an incomplete and contradictory knowledge base, and no straightforward pathway toward a final solution. This challenge is examined here for the first time from the perspective of its wicked dynamics, with consideration given to approaches that have proven effective elsewhere in resolving wicked environmental problems. Full article

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, including that of sharks, poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems and individual species. I use data from the media, tourists, and artisan fishermen to gain insight into the trade in the world’s largest fish, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). I focus on the Indonesian island of Java where, along its south coast, whale sharks are landed and butchered on the beach in view of hundreds of people and local media. Whale sharks are typically caught in fishing nets and dragged alongside boats to the shallows, where they are butchered. The meat and oil (valued at ~USD 2000 per shark) are sold and distributed within the community. I document 58 landings of mainly immature whale sharks (2002–2022). Artisanal fishermen see the landing of whale sharks as a fortuitous event, but the species is protected, and Indonesia is a signatory to various international agreements that preclude the fishing of whale sharks. It is imperative for the conservation of whale sharks that the various parties in Indonesia adhere better to their own rules and regulations protecting this species. Full article

The fish industry experiences substantial illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) activities within traditional supply chain systems. Blockchain technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) are expected to transform the fish supply chain (SC) by incorporating distributed ledger technology (DLT) to build trustworthy, transparent, decentralized traceability systems that promote secure data sharing and employ IUU prevention and detection methods. We have reviewed current research efforts directed toward incorporating Blockchain in fish SC systems. We have discussed traceability in both traditional and smart SC systems that make use of Blockchain and IoT technologies. We demonstrated the key design considerations in terms of traceability in addition to a quality model to consider when designing smart Blockchain-based SC systems. In addition, we proposed an Intelligent Blockchain IoT-enabled fish SC framework that uses DLT for the trackability and traceability of fish products throughout harvesting, processing, packaging, shipping, and distribution to final delivery. More precisely, the proposed framework should be able to provide valuable and timely information that can be used to track and trace the fish product and verify its authenticity throughout the chain. Unlike other work, we have investigated the benefits of integrating machine learning (ML) into Blockchain IoT-enabled SC systems, focusing the discussion on the role of ML in fish quality, freshness assessment and fraud detection. Full article

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a massive problem that poses a significant threat to the sustainability of marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on fishing for their food and income. Many issues have emerged, such as declining fishery resources, regional fishery incidents, political impacts, and disputes over sovereignty, which all have mutual and complicated effects on IUU fishing, eventually hindering the sustainability of marine fisheries. In this situation, the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as China) has tried to undertake some efforts to combat IUU fishing over the past few years using domestic regulation and international cooperation, especially in the South China Sea. This article discusses the seriousness of IUU fishing; examines the causes of IUU fishing in the South China Sea; analyzes why frequent fishing conflicts have increased in the South China Sea; identifies what IUU fishing is, based on its definition in the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IPOA-IUU) and in other countries; and examines what actions have been undertaken to prevent IUU fishing in China from international and national perspectives. By analyzing the cause of IUU fishing, identifying its scope and nature, and demonstrating China’s position on it, this study aims to prove that China has taken some positive measures to combat IUU fishing in the South China Sea. To promote the sustainable development of fisheries in the South China Sea, uniting China and other South China Sea states against IUU fishing could be an efficient way in the future. Full article

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the disputed maritime areas causes significant damage to the marine ecology and authorized fisheries, increases the risk of conflicts among disputed states, and violates human rights at sea. Both unilateral measures and cooperative governance for IUU fishing are often inadequate in these areas. In light, this study aims to clarify the regulatory obligations of relevant states and explore feasible solutions based on international cooperation to promote IUU governance in disputed areas worldwide. The rapidly evolving international fisheries legal framework requires that states, such as coastal states, flag states, port states, or market states, fulfill their respective obligations to prevent and deter IUU and that the presence of disputes in a specific maritime area does not typically constitute grounds for derogation from these obligations or exemption from possible state responsibility. However, the implications of the conflicting claims in disputed maritime areas should be taken into consideration while interpreting and applying international legal rules. Therefore, this study suggests that regional and inter-regional cooperation is necessary for states to fulfill their obligations to regulate IUU fishing and prevent state responsibilities under international law. Parties to the dispute, as well as third parties, are encouraged to participate in the cooperative mechanism in order to coordinate legislative and enforcement measures and advance the institutionalization of IUU fishing regulation in the disputed maritime areas, which will not only advances the effective governance of IUU fishing but also reduces tensions among the disputing states and contributes to the peaceful settlement of the dispute. Full article

There is a growing trend towards securitization of the maritime commons, which seriously impacts sustainable fisheries governance cooperation. This impact is mainly reflected in the fact that it undermines the effectiveness of the international legal framework for sustainable fisheries governance, which is fragmented and runs based on countries’ willingness. It makes the international legal basis for sustainable fisheries governance cooperation more fragile. As a result, countries are more inclined to take the issues of sustainable fisheries governance and its sub-issues as security-related issues or tools for achieving maritime security strategies. Ultimately, it will lead to confrontation rather than cooperation in sustainable fisheries governance. Evidence that can support this theory is from combating IUU fishing, a sub-issue of sustainable fisheries governance, in the Northeast Asia Pacific and the South China Sea. From securitization theory and international law theory perspectives, desecuritization is the core of the solutions, including the desecuritization of the maritime commons and the desecuritization of its sub-issues. In practice, desecuritization includes improving the effectiveness of the international legal framework for sustainable fisheries governance and establishing regional cooperative governance mechanisms. The result will certainly help to promote sustainable fisheries governance cooperation on a regional and global scale. Full article

Fisheries subsidies regulation lies at the intersection of international fisheries and international trade governance regimes. Although eradicating harmful fisheries subsidies cannot be a panacea for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, it is an essential first step to confront the problem head-on. The multilateral Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in June 2022, provides an impetus for sovereign states to steer fisheries subsidies reform towards commonly agreed legality, sustainability and transparency benchmarks. This legal and policy investigation aims to give increased attention to the ultimate responsibility of national governments to exercise active fisheries jurisdiction over the identification and sanction of IUU fishing activities. With or without WTO prior judgements, a level of jurisdictional coherence is warranted to trigger a comprehensive and effective ban on IUU fisheries subsidies in as timely a manner as possible. Full article

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is recognised as one of the largest threats to the sustainability of the world’s fisheries. The fight against IUU fishing activities has recently become a high priority in the international fisheries management agenda. While a number of academic contributions have sought to improve the understanding of the problem, data are still limited, especially in developing countries. In the absence of any information in this regard in Egypt, this contribution is the first attempt to report the available information about cases of Egyptian fishing vessels detained for fishing illegally in neighbouring countries, including the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The highest number of cases was observed in 2015 (7 cases) followed by 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2020 (each with 5 cases). The highest number of detained vessels by far was observed in 2020 (44 vessels) followed by 2015 (19 vessels). Tunisia was the country with the highest number of cases (17 cases) followed by Libya (10 cases), while Somalia detained the highest number of vessels (42 vessels) followed by Libya (22 vessels). The results shed light on the problems that led to this situation, starting with depleted fisheries, a poor monitoring system and a difficult economic situation in the fishing sector. Full article

Since the 1990s, the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) has developed rapidly and become an important method of high seas fishery management. The EAF has already been practiced by many Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. The practice of the approach in the management of high seas fisheries faces numerous challenges, such as constraints by the approach, increasing stakeholders affecting the implementation of the EAF, inconsistency with political ocean boundaries, resistance from vested interests, and the threat of Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated fishing. In order to deal with the dilemma faced by EAF, ideas are proposed as follows, building a sense of maritime community with a shared future, advancing the approach by explicating definition, objectives, and priorities, strengthening coordination and cooperation between the states and regional fisheries organizations, adopting area-based management tools with biogeographical criteria, and enhancing the level of stakeholders’ participation. Full article

Mangroves are important coastal ecosystems, which deliver diverse and crucial services to humans. This study explored the diversity of mangrove ecosystem services, their associated threats as well as their contribution to livelihoods and wellbeing of coastal communities in the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (MTBR) located between Benin and Togo. Data were collected using the exploratory sequential mixed method. The approach included field reconnaissance, focus group discussions (n = 14), in-depth interviews (n = 17), household survey (n = 274) and direct observations. A total of 21 services and 7 associated threats were recorded in the entire reserve. Provisioning services were the most important service for mangroves in the reserve followed by supporting services, regulating services and cultural services. Change in water salinity, mangrove overharvesting and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing were the three major threats to mangrove ecosystem services in the reserve. Most of the respondents indicated that the current flow of provisioning services, regulating services and cultural services does not sustain their wellbeing and livelihoods. However, the perception varied significantly across respondents’ gender, ethnical groups, educational background and country. Our study showed some similarities between the two countries but also highlighted important differences which can assist the sustainable management of mangroves in the MTBR. Full article