Tuna fisheries and geopolitical change: coastal and fishing country tensions resurface at the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

Abolhassani, Angela

doi:10.1080/18366503.2017.1367061

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Discussions of allocations have been led by coastal countries since 2011 with meetings of members within the TCAC and then at the commission. The negotiations have been slow to progress, as there is a substantial divide between the members (Abolhassani 2017;Sinan and Bailey 2019 states, historical catch, and supplementary allocations for catch on the high seas and for small island states and developing coastal states (IOTC 2018b). The fundamental differences in the proposals have made both sides highly antagonistic, with coastal states claiming sovereignty over the resources and DWFNs demanding a more cautionary approach to the subject, and continually highlighting their historical investment in the fishery (IOTC 2018d).…”

Section: Tuna Geopoliticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The paradox of sustainable tuna fisheries in the Western Indian Ocean: between visions of blue economy and realities of accumulation

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For many coastal nations in the western Indian Ocean (WIO), and notably the islands of Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles, the tuna fishery is considered one of the main pillars of economic development, providing jobs and substantial revenues whilst ensuring food security. But these fisheries are also an illustration of the paradox behind the idea of the blue economy, where economic growth and sustainable use of resources are promoted as jointly achievable. We show that a sustainability narrative, in which the idea of fishing within ecological limits is present within government policy, public discourse and practices, is however, in contradiction with the realities of accumulation and growth that prevail in the fishery. When measures towards ecological preservation are to be taken, geopolitics of access to the sea and tuna enter the stage and change the position and narrative of the same actors, governments and industrial actors, that promote sustainability. We emphasize the difficult and nearly impossible path of practicing sustainability in the current model of growth-driven tuna fisheries. We argue for the need to repoliticize the practice of sustainability through the questioning of what we see in tuna fisheries: a hegemonic narrative of sustainability and implicit growth, without positive socio-ecological transformations.

show abstract

Section: Tuna Geopoliticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The paradox of sustainable tuna fisheries in the Western Indian Ocean: between visions of blue economy and realities of accumulation

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1 ). Since the adoption of Resolution 10/01 in 2010, however, the IOTC has been unable to decide upon allocation criteria, and the subject remains an active area of debate (Abolhassani 2017 ). The IOTC Technical Committee on Allocation Criteria (TCAC) has convened five meetings since 2011.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Focusing on tuna, early iterations of tuna-related RFMO (tRFMO) conventions emphasized the need for ''maintaining the populations of these fishes at a level which will permit maximum sustained catches year after year'' (IATTC, 1949) or to ''permit the maximum sustainable catch'' (ICCAT 1966), but these early conventions make no mention of allocating fish resources to particular actors. However, despite this early emphasis on maintaining abundant fish stocks, tRFMOs are increasingly engaging in allocation processes, considering not only issues of sustainability, but also resource distribution and equity (Bailey et al 2013a;Abolhassani 2017Abolhassani , 2018Seto and Hanich 2018). In recent decades, there has been a growing consensus that global resource allocation schemes can, and should, play a role in distributive or corrective justice, aiming to counteract the concentration of resource wealth resultant from colonization and globalization processes (Gupta and Lebel 2010;Pitt et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource allocation in transboundary tuna fisheries: A global analysis

Seto

Galland²,

McDonald³

et al. 2020

Ambio

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Resource allocation is a fundamental and challenging component of common pool resource governance, particularly transboundary fisheries. We highlight the growing importance of allocation in fisheries governance, comparing approaches of the five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (tRFMOs). We find all tRFMOs except one have defined resources for allocation and outlined principles to guide allocation based on equity, citizenship, and legitimacy. However, all fall short of applying these principles in assigning fish resources. Most tRFMOs rely on historical catch or effort, while equity principles rarely determine dedicated rights. Further, the current system of annual negotiations reduces certainty, trust, and transparency, counteracting many benefits asserted by rights-based management proponents. We suggest one means of gaining traction may be to shift conversations from allocative rights toward weighting of principles already identified by most tRFMOs. Incorporating principles into resource allocation remains a major opportunity, with important implications for current and future access to fish.

show abstract

“…This is acutely illustrated in the context of international negotiations over quota allocation. In international fisheries management, the allocation of catch quota has largely been based on historical catch, as defined by flag State attribution and unrelated to the catch location (Gupta and Lebel, 2010;Pitt et al, 2012;Abolhassani, 2018;Andriamahefazafy et al, 2020;Seto et al, 2020).…”

Section: The Equity Context Of Flag State Attributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Gets the Catch? How Conventional Catch Attribution Frameworks Undermine Equity in Transboundary Fisheries

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The focus on flag States for the purpose of attributing fisheries catch is inconsistent with the assignment of sovereign rights to coastal States under international law and undermines equity in contemporary quota allocation negotiations. We propose modernizing reporting frameworks to include zone-based reporting of fish catches to more equitably present data, ensure consistency with the Law of the Sea, and better support the realization by developing coastal States of their development aspirations consistent with SDG 14, Life Below Water. States are already required to collect the data necessary to support this change, and many regional fisheries management authorities already do so. Reforms to data collection and reporting mechanisms should support zone-based catch attribution as a central feature of negotiations around access to future fishing opportunities on shared resources. Doing so will ensure that the sovereign rights of developing coastal States are properly accounted for and implemented.

show abstract

Tuna fisheries and geopolitical change: coastal and fishing country tensions resurface at the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

Cited by 7 publications

References 1 publication

The paradox of sustainable tuna fisheries in the Western Indian Ocean: between visions of blue economy and realities of accumulation

The paradox of sustainable tuna fisheries in the Western Indian Ocean: between visions of blue economy and realities of accumulation

Resource allocation in transboundary tuna fisheries: A global analysis

Who Gets the Catch? How Conventional Catch Attribution Frameworks Undermine Equity in Transboundary Fisheries

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About