Abstract
AbstractThis paper explores corruption in global fisheries. While reducing corruption is critical for the effective management of the fisheries sector and the fulfilment of the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs, and SDGs14 and 16 in particular), to do so, it is necessary to first have a systematic and comprehensive understanding of what corruption is and how it is manifested in the sector. There is literature on illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, but not much on corruption. The paper proposes an analytical framework and applies it with six revelatory cases to improve the conceptual clarity of corruption in fisheries. Specific corruption problems found in licensing, negotiating access agreements, lax enforcement, extortion, political corruption, money laundering and tax manipulation, human trafficking, etc. can therefore be better identified through this analysis, which lays a base for systematic responses to tackling corruption in fisheries and accordingly furthering the sustainable development of the sector.
Highlights
Fisheries are of vital importance to wellbeing and sustainability
Besides vital contributions to economic sustainability and human wellbeing as such, effective management of the sector is instrumental to facilitating the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean and other water resources for sustainable development, which in turn serves to the realization of other sustainable development goals (SDGs, see UNODC, 2019)
Policymakers in the developing world can work together to curb corruption in fisheries. This challenge is not well addressed in the design and implementation of existing anti-corruption policies. It is important because reducing corruption is critical for the effective management and sustainable development of the fisheries sector as well as the fulfilment of other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially against “a backdrop of decreasing fish stocks and high demand for seafood products”
Summary
Fisheries are of vital importance to wellbeing and sustainability. Where there is illegality or corruption, wellbeing is diminished, sustainability is threatened, people go hungry and a small number of malefactors get very rich. To improve the conceptual clarity of corruption in fisheries and give due recognition to all these nuances mentioned above, this paper uses a framework developed to present a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the phenomenon of corruption (Graycar, 2015) It focuses on Types, Activities, Sectors and Places (TASP). The framework provides an analytical base for intervention by allowing us to better situate a corruption event for the purposes of analysis (for example, bribery, in the issuing of fishing licenses, in the fisheries sector, in the South Pacific) This is the rationale of developing such a framework in the first place (Graycar & Sidebottom, 2012), as a new approach exploring how situational crime prevention (Clarke, 1997; Clarke, 2008) can usefully inform the analysis and prevention of corruption. Access agreement negotiation: Provision of generous benefits during and after negotiation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
