Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Science in Maritime Affairs
Specialization
Marine Environmental & Ocean Management
Campus
Malmö, Sweden
Country
Pakistan
First Advisor
Bellefontaine, Neil A.
Abstract
Traceability and transparency in fishing and the trade of fish products has been brought to the forefront of the international fisheries policy agenda and is recognized as a core issue. Governments have awakened to the fact that IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing has global impacts on the social, economic and ecological aspects of fisheries and therefore requires regional collaboration to combat this global issue. Developing countries severely suffer from the effects of IUU, particularly within their exclusive economic zones (EEZ) due to lack of resources and infrastructure to properly manage waters under their jurisdiction and in remote areas where surveillance is often difficult or neglected Thus, in this research core issues related to transparent fishing will be discussed with an aim to develop a Western and Northern Indian Ocean strategy to identify and adequately address core components of transparent and traceable fishing so as to streamline IUU work broadly in the Indian Ocean context. This dissertation starts with examining the extent of its impact in all dimensions along with drivers behind IUU fishing in global perspectives. Then the dissertation examines the global and regional initiatives with focused analysis of port state measures of FAO viz-a-viz practical challenges and opportunities in implementation and adoption of the corresponding regional and international instruments in this regard are mainly discussed. Most importantly, a case study with regards to counter IUU fishing by the Mozambique and Mauritius are presented and analyzed with an aim to assess and detect conceivable measures which helps in developing strategies by other Regional States by considering these two countries as a role model. Finally, a gap analysis along with strategy proposal on this essential subject is presented along with pertinent proposals/recommendations to promote further awareness and development on the subject.