Rethinking capitalist transformation of fisheries in South Africa and India

Source at https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10461-230427.The industrialization of fisheries and the growth of a capitalist sector within fisheries have received considerable scholarly attention. For the most part, scholars have emphasized how capitalism has led to privatization of the commons, forced small-scale resource users into wage labor, and marginalized the sector. This analysis does not, however, explain the continued presence of such a vibrant and important small-scale sector in fisheries throughout the world. Drawing on the notion of Foucauldian governmentality, other scholars have argued that the small-scale sector or what they term the “need economy” is a product of primitive accumulation. The state must, in conditions of democracy, address the welfare needs of all those who have been dispossessed in order to govern. We engage with this theorization in the context of fisheries and argue that seeing small-scale fisheries only as a product of primitive accumulation and Foucauldian governmentality ignores the moral economies of these fisheries. By analyzing capitalist transformation of fisheries in two “democratic” countries, South Africa and India, we highlight how small-scale fishers resist increasing marginalization and how governments have afforded a measure of protection to this sector, and confirm the importance of their moral economies to sustainable and equitable fisheries in the future

Implications of legal pluralism for socio-technical transition studies–scrutinizing the ascendancy of the ring seine fishery in India

This paper considers the contribution of legal pluralism scholarship to the field of socio-technical transition studies. Making use of a case study on the changeover to ring seine fishing in India, it pays particular attention to the implications of legal pluralism – or the co-existence of multiple legal systems in a societal field – for the stability of such transitions. Ring seine fishing developed in particular niches in the 1970s to spread swiftly throughout the subcontinent, dividing the fisher population into fervent protagonists and antagonists. Arguing that socio-technical innovations are often contested and that rival parties make use of alternative legal systems to advance their rights, the paper suggests that socalled regimes function as arenas for deliberating and battling alternative futures in fishing. Rather than creating stability for a particular socio-technical transition, such regimes may actually mask deep socio-legal divides

Transforming conflicts from the bottom-up? Reflections on civil society efforts to empower marginalized fishers in postwar Sri Lanka

We analyze the efforts of an international consortium of academics and activists to understand and address a transnational fisheries conflict in South Asia. The so-called REINCORPFISH project (2010–2016) focused on an asymmetrical conflict between trawler fishers from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu who frequently transgress into Sri Lankan waters and northern Sri Lankan fishers, whose livelihoods are affected by these intrusions as well as by a long history of civil war. Guided by notions of bottom-up governance and empowerment, the consortium engaged in action research focusing on three types of remedial activities: (a) facilitating dialogues between fishers from both countries, (b) supporting the creation of a unified fisher organization in northern Sri Lanka, and (c) engaging in an advocacy program promoting assistance for the northern Sri Lankan fishers. Although the consortium succeeded in creating widespread attention of the problem, we analyze how the project’s rationale of bottom-up governance was thoroughly challenged by divisive national and transboundary politics. The fisheries conflict intertwined with geopolitical power play, military bluster, and ethnic tension, as well as with governmental suspicion toward NGO activity of any kind, marginalized civil society and compromised its assumed role as an agent of change. We therefore demonstrate how supporting marginalized resource users through action research requires handling a multiplicity of coexisting conflicts (resource, ethnic, and geopolitical) and that studying or dealing with such conflicts in isolation is both conceptually and practically flawed

Transboundary research in fisheries

Spatial boundaries have become an indispensable part of regimes and tools for regulating fisheries, with examples including marine protected areas, regional fisheries management organizations and Exclusive Economic Zones. Yet, it is also widely acknowledged that boundaries are a social construct, which may be resisted by both fishers and fish ecology. The ensuing spatial and institutional mismatches have been shown to frustrate management efforts, exacerbating issues of non-compliance and ultimately leading to conflicts and overfishing. Interestingly, the often static and rigid nature of these boundaries has also led to a concomitant research interest in ‘transboundary’. This paradoxical situation of more boundary-setting entailing more transboundary thinking warrants a deeper understanding about boundaries and the role of transboundary research in fisheries. The aims of this review article are twofold: (1) a theoretical clarification on the meanings and uses of spatial boundaries drawing on geographical “boundary studies” literature; and (2) a construction of a typology that outlines how transboundary research is being articulated and envisioned. Together, the study reveals that transboundary scholarship in fisheries are mostly related to resources, fleets, trade and governance aspects and that dealing with the “boundary paradox” encompasses re-incorporating, re-scaling and reimagining of boundaries. This article provides a conceptual basis for reflecting upon boundaries in world's fisheries and opens up discussions for a more nuanced boundary application that can better cope with multilevel interactions and dynamicit

Broadening the perspective on ocean privatizations: an interdisciplinary social science enquiry

Privatization of the ocean, in the sense of defining more exclusive property rights, is taking place in increasingly diverse ways. Because of more intensive and diversified use patterns and increasing sustainability challenges, it is likely that this process will continue into the future. We argue that the nature of privatization varies from one oceanic domain to another. We differentiate four idealtypical domains: (1) resources, (2) space, (3) governance control, and (4) knowledge, and nine criteria for the assessment of privatization. We apply those criteria to a selection of examples from the realm of marine life (from micro-organisms to fish) to highlight similarities and differences and establish foundations for broader analysis. We aim hereby to develop the groundwork for a balanced, interdisciplinary perspective on ocean privatization. Our analysis demonstrates that privatization has multiple dimensions and cannot be condemned or embraced in its entirety. Instead it requires more nuanced assessment and deliberation

Melanocortin-1 Receptor Gene Variants Determine the Risk of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Independently of Fair Skin and Red Hair

Melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene variants are associated with fair skin and red hair and, independently of these, with cutaneous malignant melanoma. The association of MC1R gene variants with nonmelanoma skin cancer is largely unknown. A total of 838 subjects were included in the present study: 453 patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer and 385 subjects with no skin cancer. The coding sequence of the human MC1R gene was tested using single-stranded conformation polymorphism analysis followed by sequencing of unknown variants. Risk of skin cancer dependent on the various MC1R gene variants was estimated using the exposure odds ratio. We investigated whether subjects with MC1R variant alleles were at increased risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer and, if so, whether this increased risk was mediated by fair skin and red hair. A total of 27 MC1R gene variants were found. The number of carriers of one, two, or three MC1R gene variants was 379 (45.2%), 208 (24.8%), and 7 (0.9%), respectively. A strong association between MC1R gene variants and fair skin and red hair was established, especially the variants Arg151Cys and Arg160Trp (P<.0001). Carriers of two variant alleles were at increased risk for developing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (odds ratio 3.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.11–6.78), nodular basal cell carcinoma (odds ratio 2.26; 95% CI 1.45–3.52), and superficial multifocal basal cell carcinoma (odds ratio 3.43; 95% CI 1.92–6.15), compared with carriers of two wild-type alleles. Carriers of one variant allele had half the risk. The highest relative risks of nonmelanoma skin cancer were found in carriers of the Asp84Glu, His260Pro, and Asp294His variant alleles, and the risk was only slightly lower for carriers of the Val60Leu, Val92Met, Arg142His, Arg151Cys, and Arg160Trp variant alleles. When subjects were stratified by skin type and hair color, analysis showed that these factors did not materially change the relative risks. These findings indicate that MC1R gene variants are important independent risk factors for nonmelanoma skin cancer

HLA expression as a risk factor for metastases of cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma in organ- transplant recipients

Background: Solid organ-transplant recipients (SOTR) have an increased risk of cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma (cSCC), metastasis and death from cSCC. In immunocompetent patients with mucosal SCC, downregulation of HLA class I is associated with poor prognosis. Since the degree of HLA expression on tumor cells could play a role in immunogenicity and pathophysiology of cSCC metastasis, we hypothesized that decreased HLA expression is associated with an increased risk of metastasis. Methods: We compared HLA expression between primary metastasized cSCCs, their metastases, and non-metastasized cSCCs from the same patients. Samples were stained for HLA-A, HLA-B/-C and quantified by calculating the difference in immunoreactivity score (IRS) of the primary cSCC compared with all non-metastasized cSCCs. Results: The mean IRS score for HLA-B/C expression was 2.07 point higher in metastasized compared to non-metastasized cSCCs (p = 0.065, 95 % CI −0.18–4.32). 83.3 % of the primary metastasized cSCCs had an IRS score of 4 or higher, compared to 42.9 % in non-metastasized cSCCs. Moderately to poorly differentiated cSCCs had more HLA class I expression compared to well-differentiated cSCCs. Conclusion: Contrary to immunocompetent patients, HLA-B/C expression tends to be upregulated in metastasized cSCC compared to non-metastasized cSCC in SOTR, suggesting that different tumor escape mechanisms play a role in SOTR compared to immunocompetent patients

Melanocortin-1 receptor gene variants determine the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer independently of fair skin and red hair

Melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene variants are associated with fair skin and red hair and, independently of these, with cutaneous malignant melanoma. The association of MC1R gene variants with nonmelanoma skin cancer is largely unknown. A total of 838 subjects were included in the present study: 453 patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer and 385 subjects with no skin cancer. The coding sequence of the human MC1R gene was tested using single-stranded conformation polymorphism analysis followed by sequencing of unknown variants. Risk of skin cancer dependent on the various MC1R gene variants was estimated using the exposure odds ratio. We investigated whether subjects with MC1R variant alleles were at increased risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer and, if so, whether this increased risk was mediated by fair skin and red hair. A total of 27 MC1R gene variants were found. The number of carriers of one, two, or three MC1R gene variants was 379 (45.2%), 208 (24.8%), and 7 (0.9%), respectively. A strong association between MC1R gene variants and fair skin and red hair was established, especially the variants Arg151Cys and Arg160Trp (P < .0001). Carriers of two variant alleles were at increased risk for developing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (odds ratio 3.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.11-6.78), nodular basal cell carcinoma (odds ratio 2.26; 95% CI 1.45-3.52), and superficial multifocal basal cell carcinoma (odds ratio 3.43; 95% CI 1.92-6.15), compared with carriers of two wild-type alleles. Carriers of one variant allele had half the risk. The highest relative risks of nonmelanoma skin cancer were found in carriers of the Asp84Glu, His260Pro, and Asp294His variant alleles, and the risk was only slightly lower for carriers of the Va160Leu, Va192Met, Arg142His, Arg151Cys, and Arg160Trp variant alleles. When subjects were stratified by skin type and hair color, analysis showed that these factors did not materially change the relative risks. These findings indicate that MC1R gene variants are important independent risk factors for nonmelanoma skin cancer.</p