Marine fisheries and future ocean conflict

Abstract

Conflict over marine fishery resources is a growing security concern. Experts expect that global changes in our climate, food systems and oceans may spark or exacerbate resource conflicts. An initial scan of 803 relevant papers and subsequent intensive review of 31 fisheries conflict studies, focused on subnational and international conflicts, suggests that four substantial scientific gaps need addressing to improve our understanding of the nature and drivers of fisheries conflict. First, fisheries conflict and levels of conflict intensity are not precisely defined. Second, complex adaptive systems thinking is underutilized but has the potential to produce more realistic causal models of fishery conflict. Third, comparative large‐scale data and suitably integrative methodologies are lacking, underscoring the need for a standardized and comparable database of fisheries conflict cases to aid extrapolation beyond single case‐studies. Fourth, there is room for a more widespread application of higher order concepts and associated terminology. Importantly, the four gaps highlight the homogenized nature of current methodological and theoretical approaches to understanding fishery conflict, which potentially presents us with an oversimplified understanding of these conflicts. A more nuanced understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of fishery conflict and its causes is not only scientifically critical, but increasingly relevant for policymakers and practitioners in this turbulent world.

Far from home: Distance patterns of global fishing fleets

“…Reducing the subsidies that enable unprofitable fishing on the high seas would also reduce income inequality among maritime countries ( 40 ). Fish are a vital component of global food and economic security, and further degrading the productive capacity of the oceans puts both at risk for hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people and increases the risk of fisheries conflict ( 41 ). As with other spheres of human endeavor, recognizing that there are physical limits to growth on a finite planet is vital to humanity’s long-term well-being.…”

Addressing Marine and Coastal Governance Conflicts at the Interface of Multiple Sectors and Jurisdictions

“…Addressing the challenges associated with cross-sectoral conflicts requires an improved knowledge of the diversity and magnitude of claims being made and their interactions, as well as a greater consideration of trade-offs and cumulative impacts (Stephenson et al, 2019;Jouffray et al, 2020). In addition, traditional governance is often not well-adapted to mitigate these conflicts (Spijkers et al, 2018(Spijkers et al, , 2019, stressing the need to consider Ostrom-type approaches and Coasean solutions more systematically to achieve a balance between sustainable use and conservation while addressing equity concerns. More research is therefore required to determine where and when each of these governance alternatives is most appropriate to manage conflicts.…”

“…The paper discusses the results of a workshop on marine and coastal governance conflicts at the interface of multiple sectors 1 With regards to the categorization of conflict intensity, with a gradient from verbal disagreements to military acts as defined in Spijkers et al (2018), the conflicts we focus on are typically those of lower intensity, i.e., non-violent phenomena such as verbal discords or legal proceedings resulting from differing interests. 2 This paper is primarily focused on addressing negative externalities.…”

Climate change and maritime security

“…This interplay between pressures, processes and structures has led other authors to focus on the concept of vulnerability, which allows grasping the extent to which climate change impacts on the structural elements of social, political and economic stability, and eventually on the occurrence of maritime crime in a given population (Blasiak et al, 2017;Cordner, 2017;Spijkers et al, 2018). Scholars agree that the vulnerability of coastal communities to the effects of climate change is a function of three variables: a) their exposure to effects of climate change, b) their sensitivity to these effects, reflected by their dependence on natural capital and the technologies available to them, and c) their potential adaptive capacity, which reflects the ability of a society to anticipate and respond to detected changes and to reduce, cope with, and recover from the consequences of any disaster or change Cinner et al, 2012;Blasiak et.…”