The Cyclical Nature of Maritime Security Threats: Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing as a Threat to Human and National Security in the Gulf of Guinea

Abstract

Analyses of [maritime] security issues have long focused on threats to the nation-state, thereby promulgating traditional state-centric security policies and practices. The preceding claim is valid for maritime security responses on the African continent, where piracy/armed robbery at sea has been met with robust regional and international interventions, and resulted in two UN resolutions and regional policies. Focusing primarily on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, this paper seeks to highlight the centrality of human security issues to national security by providing evidence of the cyclical relationship between the two; anything that undermines human security, explicitly threatens national security. Utilising evidence from Nigeria, the paper critiques the tendency to ignore the individual as the referent object of security.

Threats of illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing to biodiversity and food security in the Republic of the Congo

“…2009). It has the potent ability to undermine national and regional efforts to manage fisheries, conserve marine biodiversity, and hinder progress toward sustainable development goals, such as poverty alleviation and food security (FAO 2001); anything that undermines human security is considered an explicit threat to national security (Okafor‐Yarwood 2020). The capacity of countries to combat IUU fishing across the region, however, is often limited by a lack of detailed information on the activity of industrial fishing vessels.…”

Exploring the Nexus and Utilities Between Regional and Global Ocean Governance Architecture

“…Many ocean challenges in Africa have also been linked to global security concerns. The spate of illegal maritime migration, piracy and armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, transhipment of narcotics, and other illicit maritime crimes has brought African countries face-to-face with international interventions and measures with significant implications on states' territorial integrity and sovereignty (Hamad, 2016;Brits and Nel, 2018;Okafor-Yarwood, 2020;Okafor-Yarwood et al, 2020). Measures such as joint military training exercises and intelligence gathering imply that African states and their citizens are constantly placed under surveillance, while foreign agencies and individuals are enabled to become surveillance states to protect "maritime assets."…”

Organized crime in the fisheries sector threatens a sustainable ocean economy

“…The marine environment and associated ecosystems may also be negatively affected by organized crime in fisheries: piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea pose threats to the marine environment because of the risk of oil or chemical spills caused by the use of destructive weapons to attack vessels and the transfer of the targeted vessel's cargo 89 . In Nigeria, some local fishers struggling to sustain their livelihoods engage in illegal fishing in the vicinity of oil pipeline installations, which risks causing oil leaks and marine pollution 90 . In Mexico, fishers adversely affected by the poorly regulated governmental conservation measures in the Gulf of California have turned to totoaba poaching because of the lack of legitimate alternative livelihoods 52 .…”

“…Various offences that occur at sea present a threat to peace and security; this can include offences falling within the ambit of organized crime in fisheries. 'Fisheries conflicts'-which may arise from a combination of factors, including illegal fishing (along with climate change and food security concerns)-are recognized as a potential threat to maritime security and livelihoods and there is a growing body of literature on the topic 90,[102][103][104] . In the Gulf of Guinea, numerous organized criminal activities at sea threaten peace and security, including piracy and armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom, fuel and gas robbery and smuggling, drugs and arms trafficking and illegal fishing 2 .…”

“…This adversely affects the economic bases of the region's states through, for example, increased insurance premiums for cargo vessels, which hinders the movement of goods and services and results in lost income for businesses and governments and an increase in the price of goods and services 105,106 . In Nigeria, for example, piracy and armed robbery at sea is associated with a diminished contribution from the domestic fishing sector to the gross domestic product (GDP) as fewer licensed fee-paying vessels are willing to go to sea 90,107 . Furthermore, coastal fishers who fear putting out to sea in Nigeria due to violent attacks from illegal fishing vessels have been recruited by organized criminal networks engaging in armed robbery at sea and oil smuggling, and fishmongers-who are predominantly women-have in some instances turned to prostitution to make ends meet 90,108 .…”