The impact of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing, shortly IUU fishing, has become an increased significance these days. The global community has already reached a critical point when is comes to global fish stocks. As of 2014, almost 30 % of the global fish stocks are considered to be in an overfished condition, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 2018, the estimated number already increased up to 33.1 %. This emphasizes the urgency of actions
combating IUU fishing.
Since the 1990s, IUU fishing is a further growing issue for the community of international fisheries and thus, this behaviour is not a new issue in marine capture fisheries. According to estimations, the total value of current IUU fishing worldwide is between $ 10 bn and $ 23,5 bn annually which is a total amount between 11 and 26 million tonnes of fish. The first appearance of this term can be dated on 1997 to the 16th annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The fisheriessector developed more and more in a commercial direction and thus got dominated by economic interests. By fading out all the problems and consequences of IUU fishing, large companies only focus on expanding their profit. This leads to different problems, especially regarding to the environment.
One of the main problems is to extinguish certain fish stocks. The key word of is issue is biodiversity which plays a large role in this context. On a scientific view, there is a specific level which sets the optimum for reproduction of fish stocks. Overfishing means hereby that the reproduction is limited and in the worst case, it can lead to completely loosing types of fish. Not to overextend a certain amount of fishing, it is important to have control entities which sets the level of fishing to reach this optimum point. The challenge now is that unreported fishing cannot be taken into account of those calculations how much fishing can be practiced, so that it is very difficult to estimate the truly size of the fish stock. Unreported fishing thus leads because of bypassing those control entities to many problems. This challenges the whole system because it gets less concrete. Additionally, unregulated fishing itself can wipe out a species of fish, or at least limit the reproduction drastically.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Structure of this Essay
- Purpose and Method
- Delimitation
- Theoretical Perspective
- Postcolonial Perspective
- Critical Perspectives
- Background
- Central Principles of International Law in the Maritime Context
- Sovereignty
- The Freedom of the High Seas
- Definition of IUU fishing
- Illegal Fishing
- Unreported Fishing
- Unregulated Fishing
- The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
- Central Principles of International Law in the Maritime Context
- Various Approaches
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
- Content of the Regulations
- Critique
- United Nations Fish Stock Agreement
- Regional Fisheries Management Organisations
- Overview about related Approaches
- Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU Fishing
- International Plan of Action to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing
- Voluntary Guidelines for Flag State Performance
- Further Reflections
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay critically examines various approaches to combatting IUU fishing and evaluates their effectiveness. It aims to understand the impact of this illicit activity on global fish stocks and marine ecosystems, focusing on international legal frameworks and their limitations. * The essay explores the increasing significance of IUU fishing and its consequences for global fish stocks, particularly in light of overfishing. * It delves into the central principles of international law in the maritime context, including sovereignty and the freedom of the high seas, to understand the legal frameworks surrounding fishing activities. * The essay analyzes various international legal instruments and agreements designed to combat IUU fishing, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the United Nations Fish Stock Agreement, and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. * It examines the effectiveness and limitations of these approaches, considering the complex interplay of economic interests, governance structures, and environmental sustainability. * The essay sheds light on the role of postcolonial perspectives and critical approaches in understanding the complexities of IUU fishing and its impact on developing nations.Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction outlines the growing problem of IUU fishing and its impact on global fish stocks. It highlights the urgent need for effective measures to combat this illicit activity. The second chapter focuses on the structure and methodology of the essay, outlining the purpose, delimitation, and theoretical perspectives used. This chapter further clarifies the chosen framework for analyzing IUU fishing and its implications. The third chapter explores the legal framework surrounding IUU fishing, examining the core principles of international law in the maritime context, including sovereignty and the freedom of the high seas. It also provides a detailed definition of IUU fishing, differentiating between illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities. The fourth chapter investigates various approaches to combating IUU fishing, examining key international legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the United Nations Fish Stock Agreement, and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. It also explores other relevant approaches, such as port state measures, the International Plan of Action, and voluntary guidelines for flag state performance.Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This essay focuses on the critical analysis of IUU fishing and its impact on global fish stocks and marine ecosystems. The core concepts and themes addressed include international law, sovereignty, freedom of the high seas, overfishing, sustainable fisheries, postcolonial perspective, critical perspectives, governance, and environmental sustainability. The essay also examines key international instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the United Nations Fish Stock Agreement, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, and port state measures. The analysis of these concepts and instruments sheds light on the effectiveness and limitations of various approaches to combatting IUU fishing.- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2023, IUU Fishing – Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated. A critical reflection on different approaches to combating these acts and their effectiveness, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1462408
