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Making a case for stopping IUU fishing in Global South countries

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Ayodele Oloko at University of British Columbia
Ayodele Oloko
Louise Teh
Louise Teh
Louise Teh
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Sarah Harper at University of Victoria
Sarah Harper
Kafayat Fakoya
Kafayat Fakoya
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Abstract

Despite these diverse contributions of small-scale fisheries, most small-scale fishing communities encounter international market pressures, fisheries privatisation, and competition from other economic activities in ocean space and for marine resources
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SPC • Women in Fisheries Information Bulletin #38 27
Making a case for stopping IUU fishing in
Global South countries
Ayodele Oloko1, Louise Teh1, Sarah Harper1,2 and Kafayat Fakoya3
Fisheries contribute extensively to the food security, culture,
livelihoods, and well-being of hundreds of millions of people
in Global South countries (Elegbede et al. 2023; Harper et
al. 2023; Oloko et al. 2021). A significant amount of fish
from small-scale capture fisheries is harvested and consumed
because of their nutritional composition and ease of access for
the well-being of coastal communities (Oloko et al. 2022b;
Teh and Pauly 2018). Despite these diverse contributions of
small-scale fisheries, most small-scale fishing communities
encounter international market pressures, fisheries
privatisation, and competition from other economic activities
in ocean space and for marine resources (Bennett et al. 2021).
The expansion of industrial fisheries has placed many small-
scale fishing communities in the Global South at risk of
conflict, such as with illegal and foreign fishing vessels and
competition from major export-oriented fleets (Okafor-
Yarwood et al. 2022). Several climate and human-induced
pressures and threats, such as harmful fishing subsidies
(Sumaila et al. 2019), extreme temperatures (Lima et
al. 2020; Cheung et al. 2019), illegal, unreported and
unregulated (IUU) fishing (Song et al. 2020), overcapacity
and overfishing (Freduah et al. 2018), and pollution (Freduah
et al. 2018), also affect the livelihoods of small-scale fishers in
Global South countries. Their vulnerabilities are exacerbated
by a lack of livelihood assets, poor livelihood diversification
initiatives, and market disruptions with IUU implications
1 University of British Columbia, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2 The University of Victoria, School of Environmental Science, Victoria, BC, Canada
3 Lagos State University, Department of Fisheries, Lagos State, Nigeria
I am a widow, and I can no longer feed my
children and pay their school fees because
foreign industrial fishing fleets have taken
all our fish. I am now into prostitution and
hoping for a better tomorrow.
Fisherwoman from Nigeria
(Bennett et al. 2021). This has resulted in diminishing
trends in artisanal fish landings and the impending collapse
of pelagic fish stocks known informally as “people’s fish”
in Global South countries, particularly Ghana (Lazar et
al. 2020). These challenges jeopardise small-scale fisheries
sustainability and resilience while also exacerbating the
persistent structural, social, economic, and institutional
issues that fishing communities encounter, such as poverty
and other social–ecological concerns (Song et al. 2020).
Unsustainable and ineffective fishery management amidst
a confluence of global concerns has resulted in changes to
small-scale fishers’ activities, generating fish supply shortages
and disruptions in the fish value chain (Fakoya et al. 2022).
There are also complexities within the fisheries value chain
due to fish supply limitations, which create conflicts among
fisheries operators whose activities are not governed by any
set of laws or norms. Fishing activities in Cameroon, for
example, are constantly challenged by increasing maritime
activities, illicit fishing, and competition for access between
local artisanal and large-scale industrial fishing fleets
(Nyiawung et al. 2023). These difficulties are exacerbated
by a lack of strong fisheries governance and management,
as well as a scarcity of current fisheries policies to promote
and support community engagement (Beseng 2019). These
challenges have directly affected the livelihoods of many
fishery-dependent communities, resulting in an inability to
meet local fish demand (The New Humanitarian 2022).
Conflicts between local and foreign fishers have arisen
in recent years because of the arrival of foreign industrial
fishing fleets from China and elsewhere (Beseng 2019).
Foreign fishers compete with local fishers for available fish
resources and fishing grounds in Cameroon, and similarly
in other Global South countries (Nyiawung et al. 2023).
This has further resulted in modifications because of poor
management, overexploitation of fishing resources, and
privatisation of ocean economic livelihood (Song et al. 2018).
These industrial activities displace fishers from areas
needed to sustain their livelihoods and endanger the health
of the fishing resources; consequently, some fishers are
considering leaving the fishery (The New Humanitarian
2022). Scholars have suggested that outstanding institutional
fisheries structures and policies enable local stakeholders
to collaborate and develop solutions to current difficulties,
improve the sustainability of the food system, and manage
their fishery (Song et al. 2018). Building adaptive capacity
among SSF actors has been proven to improve local responses
and resilience to shocks and stressors (Freduah et al. 2018).
Fisherwomen from Mabanda Fishing Community, Cameroon.
@ Richard Nyiawung
28 SPC • Women in Fisheries Information Bulletin #38
The concept has been used in a variety of contexts, including
disaster recovery (Liu et al. 2020), climate change (Tanner
et al. 2015) and agroforestry (Quandt 2018). Consequently,
the institutionalization of good fishing governance systems
contributes to community resilience against current
environmental stresses and unforeseeable shocks. Policy
interventions should focus on enhancing fishers’ access
to livelihood resources, particularly social capital, as well
as building human and institutional capacity, with the
goal of sustaining and improving their livelihoods in
Global South countries (Oloko et al. 2022a). For example,
access to funds through saving and lending institutions
should be tailored towards social-ecological sustainability.
Policies and institutional frameworks that advocate against
unreported, illegal, and unregulated fisheries practices in
small-scale fisheries in Global South countries should also
be implemented. Given that fisheries governance emphasises
the need for solutions that reconcile economic intentions
and fish stock conservation to improve sustainability,
understanding the resilience of fishers’ livelihoods could pave
the way to achieving sustainable fisheries management goals
in Global South countries.
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... Indigenous local groups have historically used marine living resources for economic, social, medical and cultural interests (Elegbede et al. 2023a, b;Oloko et al. 2023;Fakoya et al. 2022;Malorgio et al. 2017;Warne 2014). Fishing served as a link between people and their sociocultural capital, values and customs. ...
The multi-dimensional perspectives of taboos on gender roles of fisherfolk in the Global South
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In the Global South, small-scale fisheries may be highly influenced by taboos and traditional beliefs that are believed to maintain fishing pressure within sustainable limits, maintain ecosystem balance and mitigate risks associated with work at sea. However, despite their potentially significant role in mediating human-resource interactions, limited attention has been given to taboos in the context of small-scale fisheries. Among the socio-cultural taboos shaping participation in and benefits from fisheries activities, gender-specific taboos are particularly significant. Thus, this paper explores the role of gender taboos in sustainable and equitable small-scale fisheries management in the Global South. It also identifies and assesses the quality and scientific rigor of the key themes from the literature. A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the state of knowledge on taboos and small-scale fisheries and situate the role of gender-specific taboos within small-scale fisheries governance. Over 100 relevant publications were obtained and categorised using scanning and selection methods. The main emerging themes from the literature review included traditional ecological knowledge and taboos, conservation and management taboos, and gender taboos. The findings highlight the significance of taboos in shaping gender dynamics, livelihoods, and food security within small-scale fisheries; however, there remain many gaps in understanding the role of taboos in mediating fishing activities and in maintaining gender inequalities in the fisheries sector. Without this knowledge, gender inequalities could be further exacerbated where taboos are used as a management tool without considering the gender dimensions. This study, therefore, seeks to fill this gap by providing insights for fisheries managers and practitioners for managing fisheries in a way that considers these socio-cultural factors that shape access to, control over and the benefits derived from fisheries.
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Cameroon's choppy waters:The anatomy of fisheries crime in the maritime fisheries sector
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