Collateral damage? Small-scale fisheries in the global fight against IUU fishing

© 2020 The Authors. Fish and Fisheries published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Concern over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has led to a number of policy, trade and surveillance measures. While much attention has been given to the impact of IUU regulation on industrial fleets, recognition of the distinct impacts on small-scale fisheries is conspicuously lacking from the policy and research debate. In this paper, we outline three ways in which the application of IUU discourse and regulation undermines small-scale fisheries. First, the mainstream construction of “illegal,” “unreported” and “unregulated” fishing, and also the categorical use of “IUU” in an all-inclusive sense, disregards the diversity, legitimacy and sustainability of small-scale fisheries practices and their governing systems. Second, we explore how the recent trade-related measures to counter IUU fishing mask and reinforce existing inequalities between different sectors and countries, creating an unfair burden on small-scale fisheries and countries who depend on them. Third, as IUU fishing is increasingly approached as “organized crime,” there is a risk of inappropriately targeting small-scale fisheries, at times violently. Reflecting on these three trends, we propose three strategies by which a more sensitive and ultimately more equitable incorporation of small-scale fisheries can be supported in the global fight against IUU fishing

The territorial dimension of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

This paper explores potential points of intersection and complementarity between several human geography related policy goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the same time, it identifies promising directions for delving more deeply into fundamental policy goals associated with spatial planning and territorial cohesion. Inspired by the advantages associated with the holistic and interdisciplinary approach of human geography, the paper proposes two additional SDGs for the 2030 Agenda to reinforce territorial cohesion and planning processes. It concludes that the identification of SDGs is excessively predicated on a prevailing conceptual triad (economy + society + environment). Thereby, it undercuts a common assumption that crucial human geography related policy arenas are not seen as essential pillars of sustainability processes. In particular, the research intends to fuel the clamour for more holistic approaches to sustainable development policies. The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio