Blowing it out of the water: How breaking down illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing can contribute to its effective management in Indonesia using an area based approach. [graduate project].

Abstract

Fisheries are declining on a global scale. While some of this decline has been attributed to mismanagement of fisheries leading to overcapacity and overfishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing should also be held accountable for part of this decline. IUU fishing often employs destructive fishing methods and undermines the science behind fisheries management. Such practices are particularly prevalent in developing countries and contribute to the loss of billions of dollars each year. Too often, actions to mitigate IUU fishing address it as a single problematic unit. This project suggests that breaking up IUU fishing into three separate units might allow for more effective management. Using Indonesian tuna fisheries as a case study to evaluate this approach the first part of this study develops a framework upon which to build an “IUU vulnerability index”. The second part of this study compiles a suite of NGO-initiated and government-initiated actions that work to combat either illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing into the “IUU toolbox”. Together, these approaches should provide decision makers with an alternative to the traditional blanket method to combat IUU fishing and facilitate a tailored approach to build legal, regulated, and reported (LRR) fisheries.