The plight of the fishers and the management of IUU fishing

Abstract

It is now four decades since the conclusion of the Law of the Sea Convention, which came into force in 1994, and an appropriate point to review the human dimension of the development of global fisheries during this period, with special reference to the widespread exploitation especially of migrant fishers. The scale of global fisheries activity is reviewed with reference to statistics on the catch of wild fisheries, followed by a focus on the small-scale fisheries characteristic of the developing world on the one hand, and the industrial distant water fisheries operated largely by regions within the developed world on the other. The plight of the fishers is then considered in terms of both their living and working conditions and the management system which applies to their circumstances. The legal basis provided by the Law of the Sea Convention and related legal enactments are noted, including the several agreements concluded under the aegis of United Nations agencies. Finally, the world of enforcement in the context of emerging polycentric management is discussed, underlining the long-term nature of the extreme difficulties which must be faced to mitigate the plight of the fishers.