Understanding the organisational structure of fisheries crime in well-regulated fisheries

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is recognised as a global environmental, economic, and social problem, taking place in all kinds of fisheries. Preventing it is however difficult and there is a continuous need to expand the knowledge base on how the issue can be addressed. In this article we study fisheries crime from an environmental criminology approach by conducting a crime script analyses to describe the organisational structure of unreported fishing in a well-regulated fishery. The approach gives detailed insights into the different steps in the crime commission process in the Norwegian coastal cod fisheries. The crime script technique is expanded to also include an analysis of the regulatory framework designed to prevent illegal fishing activities. The main MCS mechanisms to prevent illegalities are present but the diversity in the industry makes the implementation of universal prevention mechanisms difficult. The analysis highlights the fisher-buyer dialogue and interactions prior to misreporting as a core aspect to the organisation of the violations, and difficult to regulate. When linking regulations and guardianship to different steps of the crime we discuss the identified vulnerabilities in the resource control system and present some possible intervention points and prevention mechanisms to be considered by policymakers.publishedVersio

Montana Kaimin, November 14, 1978

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/studentnewspaper/7828/thumbnail.jp

Identifying discrepancies in registrations within the supply chain - a study from the cod fisheries in Norway

Seafood is one of the most valuable and highly traded commodities worldwide, and thus highly susceptible to fraud. The Norwegian fisheries sector is subject to a wealth of regulatory requirements ensuring an environmentally and economically sound fishery. Nonetheless, studies have shown that there exists a, at times significant, discrepancy between imports/landings and exports/domestic consumption. Parts of this gap can probably be explained by intentional acts of fraud, such as landings of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fish. However, as both the production process and the supply chain is highly complex, portions of the gap might also be attributed to non-fraud related issues, such as gaps in the regulatory framework, inaccurate reporting, production process errors, human error, or other unintentional factors. By combining a documentary study of the regulatory framework with a material flow analysis (MFA) and an in-depth case study, we map and analyse the Norwegian cod fishery supply chain to identify possible sources of discrepancies and inconsistencies. We estimate the scope of the discrepancy within the Norwegian cod fisheries, highlight weak points within the supply chain, and identify weaknesses within the regulatory framework regarding product registrations. The study shows that a combination of the different methods is valuable in understanding the complexity of the different recordings. By combining the methods, it is possible to test whether identified records are comparable or not, while contextual knowledge is useful in adjusting the analysis by identifying sources of discrepancies. Acknowledgement: This work was conducted in the framework of the EU Project FoodIntegrity

Kongekrabbe og omsetningskrav – Ulike modeller for fordeling i den kvoteregulerte fangsten

Nofima er av Nærings- og fiskeridepartementet bedt om å gjennomføre en evaluering av ulike alternative modeller for kvotefordeling i det kvoteregulerte fisket etter kongekrabbe. Alle de foreslåtte modellene bygger på dagens modell, der det kreves en gitt omsetning av fangst av andre arter, for å få «full» kongekrabbekvote. I tillegg til at fartøy må høre hjemme i Finnmark, eller den tidligere lukkede gruppen i dette fisket. Departementet har i sin forespørsel satt opp konkrete alternative justeringer for kvotefordeling, som omhandler krav til førstehåndsomsetning av andre arter (Modell 1 og 2), majoritetseiers status i fiskermanntallet (Modell 3), fartøystørrelse (Modell 4) og tillatelse i lukket gruppe torsk (Modell 5). Rapporten er bygget opp med en kort innledning og fyldigere bakgrunn, før hver av de fem konkrete alternativene belyses med basis i forholdene i Finnmark. Hver av de alternativene modellenes effekter diskuteres opp mot deltakelse, samt mulige fordeler og ulemper opp mot forvaltningsmål i forhold til dagens modell (Modell 0). Analysene tar utgangspunkt i de rådende forhold i 2022. Vi gir ingen anbefaling til hvilken modell for kvotefordeling som bør velges. Det er et privilegium som ligger til myndighetene i deres vurdering opp mot måloppnåelse og et heller sammensatt målhierarki. Men der det er naturlig peker vi på vesentlige fordeler og ulemper ved de ulike modellene. Vi anser at Modell 2 i bedre grad enn Modell 1 kan ivareta prinsippet om at de som er negativt påvirket av kongekrabbe i andre fiskeri skal bli tilgodesett. Modell 3−5 bygger i større grad på objektive kriterier og det finnes argumenter for at modellene kan møte nevnte prinsipp, om enn til ulik grad. Hvorvidt formål om økt lønnsomhet og profesjonalisering treffes kan i noen grad sees i sammenheng med modellenes totale antall kvotefaktorer. Modell 5 reduserer antallet med 30 %, Modell 1 med 20 % og Modell 2 med 15 %. Vi mener likevel at Modell 2, med kortere trinn i kvotestigen, treffer målet bedre enn Modell 1. Modell 3 og 4 klarer bare i begrenset grad å redusere antall kvotefaktorer alene. Vår vurdering er, at bidraget kongekrabbereguleringene kan understøtte lokal fiskeindustri med, handler om økte landinger av andre arter, og at hvordan modellene slår ut i forhold til dette er beheftet med stor usikkerhet. Vi vurderer at insentivstrukturen i Modell 2, dernest Modell 1, kan gi større effekt enn resterende modeller.publishedVersio

Evaluation of the governance structures of the cases

This report contains an evaluation of the governance structures of the EU long-distance fishing fleet in the six case studies of the FarFish project. These case studies include two high seas fisheries and four fisheries that are based on Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) between the EU and coastal states. All of these fisheries are important for the fishing fleets of multiple EU countries or respond to the priorities of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The report focuses on different aspects of both the structural and actor conditions, in particular focusing on monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) of the EU external fishing fleet. For each of the four SFPAs, we present the requirements set within the SFPAs, the legal framework and systems for MCS in the coastal state and their capacity. For the high seas cases, we present the governing framework of the area where such is in place and the practice of managing the EU fleet. For all cases, challenges of and measures to mitigate by-catch and discard issues and IUU fishing are presented. Lastly, we summaries the main findings regarding both achievements and identified challenges for the six case studies. This report is based on available data and synthesizes already existing information. It will function as a primer for further studies in the FarFish project of the governance structure of the EU fisheries outside Europe

Analysing uncertainties in socio-economic assessments of fisheries and aquaculture under climate change

Socio-economic analysis of seafood production is important for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems and the management of fisheries and aquaculture activities. Understanding how the livelihoods of people, dependent on the exploitation of aquatic resources, are affected by various changes is essential for decision making. The two main seafood production sectors, fisheries and aquaculture are fundamentally different. Whilst fishing is an extremely uncertain and complex system that operates in an ecological context where constant interactions between biology, ecology, climate, economics and sociology take place (FAO, 2017), aquaculture normally takes place in a considerably more controlled and contained production setting within the ecosystem. However, climate change will likely impact both sectors in various ways. This study presents how uncertainty is considered within the socio-economic assessments of two important economic activities in the Northeast Atlantic, one the salmon aquaculture operation in countries such as Norway, Scotland and the Faroe Islands and the pelagic fisheries in EU, Norwegian, Faroese and Icelandic waters. A novel approach in our assessment is the consideration of the uncertainties of input factors as consequences of climate change, resource abundance, technology, operators’ behaviour, market conditions, harvesting efficiency, governance policy, and socio-economic status of communities. Data collected by individual surveys and secondary sources are described as statistic distributions that are used for Monte Carlo simulations. Our simulation models enable researchers to predict the likelihoods of occurrence of socio-economic outcomes, and the contributions and sensitiveness of input variables to the profitability of seafood production and the gross value added to the economy

European Seafood Production under Climate Change: Assessing Economic and Social Consequences

Climate change has been observed to have a significant impact on the distribution of aquatic species and productivity of aquaculture systems across the globe. This affects the level of food production, the livelihoods of communities that depend on fisheries and aquaculture, and the future sustainability of these sectors. As in all other parts of the world, climate change will have inequitable and diverse impacts on economic growth across Europe, creating winners and losers. The European H2020 project ClimeFish investigates the impacts of climate change in aquatic food production at the European and regional scale, for the three main production sectors: marine fisheries, lakes and ponds and marine aquaculture. ClimeFish has developed a process for conducting socio-economic impact assessment by first identifying the effect(s) of climate change on the biological properties of both fish and aquaculture species, and secondly assessing the socio-economic impacts based on these biological forecasts, collecting additional socio-economic data and feedback from relevant stakeholders. Here, we provide an overview of the methods and work conducted in seven different case studies will be provided, focusing on both opportunities and threats within the three sectors and geographical locations around Europe as well as a European wide analysis. Challenges related to the data collection and analysis, as well as potential ways of overcoming them, are discussed

Norwegian Responsible Fisheries Management (NRFM) – Utvikling av norsk standard for bærekraftige fiskerier

For å oppnå markedsadgang til våre viktigste markeder for sjømat er sertifisering av bærekraftige fiskerier nødvendig. Prosessen med å utvikle en norsk standard, Norwegian Responsible Fisheries Management (NRFM), er nå i gang. Det finnes flere gode grunner til å opprette en norsk bærekraftstandard. Et av de viktigste argumentene er at en standard tilpasset norske fiskerier gjør at vi kan få frem vårt budskap: Hvordan vi gjør det i Norge og hvordan vi vil utvikle og forbedre våre fiskerier i tråd med FAO sine retningslinjer for miljømerking. Det foreligger nå et utkast av en standard som er klar for videreføring til neste steg, den innebærer blant annet akkreditering av programmets styringsorgan og utvikling av finansieringsmodell. Standarden er bygd opp etter samme modell som standarder på Island og i Alaska for å legge til rette for et fremtidig samarbeid med disse ordningene. Ordningene på Island og i Alaska er også brukt som mulige modeller for eierskap og drift av en norsk ordning. På sikt anbefales det å opprette en egen organisasjon som kan drifte ordningen. Før dette eventuelt skjer bør ordningen forankres godt i næringen gjennom hele verdikjeden

Norwegian Responsible Fisheries Management (NRFM) – Development of a Norwegian standard for sustainable fisheries

For å oppnå markedsadgang til våre viktigste markeder for sjømat er sertifisering av bærekraftige fiskerier nødvendig. Prosessen med å utvikle en norsk standard, Norwegian Responsible Fisheries Management (NRFM), er nå i gang. Det finnes flere gode grunner til å opprette en norsk bærekraftstandard. Et av de viktigste argumentene er at en standard tilpasset norske fiskerier gjør at vi kan få frem vårt budskap: Hvordan vi gjør det i Norge og hvordan vi vil utvikle og forbedre våre fiskerier i tråd med FAO sine retningslinjer for miljømerking. Det foreligger nå et utkast av en standard som er klar for videreføring til neste steg, den innebærer blant annet akkreditering av programmets styringsorgan og utvikling av finansieringsmodell. Standarden er bygd opp etter samme modell som standarder på Island og i Alaska for å legge til rette for et fremtidig samarbeid med disse ordningene. Ordningene på Island og i Alaska er også brukt som mulige modeller for eierskap og drift av en norsk ordning. På sikt anbefales det å opprette en egen organisasjon som kan drifte ordningen. Før dette eventuelt skjer bør ordningen forankres godt i næringen gjennom hele verdikjeden.In this project, the first phase of developing a Norwegian standard for sustainable fisheries, Norwegian Responsible Fisheries Management (NRFM), is completed. A draft of the standard is ready to be taken to the next step, which includes accreditation of the programme's steering body and development of a financing model. The standard is based on the same model as standards in Iceland and Alaska to facilitate future cooperation with these schemes. The schemes in Iceland and Alaska have also been used as possible models for ownership and operation of a Norwegian scheme.publishedVersio