Understanding Persistent Non-compliance in a Remote, Large-Scale Marine Protected Area

Abstract

Area coverage of large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) (LSMPAs, > 100,000 km2) is rapidly increasing globally. Their effectiveness largely depends on successful detection and management of non-compliance. However, for LSMPAs this can be difficult due to their large size, often remote locations and a lack of understanding of the social drivers of non-compliance. Taking a case-study approach, we review current knowledge of illegal fishing within the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) LSMPA. Data stemming from enforcement reports (2010–20), and from fieldwork in fishing communities (2018–19) were combined to explore and characterise drivers of non-compliance. Enforcement data included vessel investigation reports (n = 188), transcripts of arrests (20) and catch seizures (58). Fieldwork data included fisher interviews (95) and focus groups (12), conducted in two communities in Sri Lanka previously associated with non-compliance in BIOT LSMPA. From 2010 to 2020, there were 126 vessels suspected of non-compliance, 76% of which were Sri Lankan. The majority of non-compliant vessels targeted sharks (97%), catching an estimated 14,340 individuals during the study period. Sri Lankan vessels were primarily registered to one district (77%) and 85% operated from just two ports within the fieldwork sites. Social Network Analysis (SNA) showed that 66% of non-compliant vessels were linked by social ties, including sharing crew members, compared with only 34% of compliant vessels. Thematic analysis of qualitative data suggested that perceptions of higher populations of sharks and social ties between vessels may both be important drivers. We discuss our findings within a global context to identify potential solutions for LSMPA management.

Fishers' tales—Impact of artisanal fisheries on threatened sharks and rays in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

“…For both cases, this was because these actions were largely devoid of in‐depth understanding of fishers' socio‐economic conditions. Similar bans on shark catch remained futile in Myanmar and non‐compliance was an issue in the absence of acceptance by the fishers (Begum et al, 2020; Collins et al, 2021). Ensuring fishers' participation in data collection has been effective in the Bay of Bengal as it builds trusted relationships and active participation (e.g., reporting Critically Endangered sawfish catch in Haque et al, 2020), which can lead to ownership of the actions and marine resources (Haque et al, 2020).…”

“…In the absence of historical data, the knowledge of fishers can be used to understand spatio‐temporal abundance, for example, to reconstruct long‐term population trends and species distributions (Colloca et al, 2020; Daw, 2008; Dulvy & Polunin, 2004; Foster & Vincent, 2010; Frezza & Clem, 2015; Irigoyen & Trobbiani, 2016; Lavides et al, 2016; Macdonald et al, 2014). Moreover, fishers can also offer important socio‐ecological insights on conservation, legislation, and aspects related to improved compliance (Booth et al, 2020; Collins et al, 2021; Gupta et al, 2020; Jabado, 2014; Liao et al, 2019; Mason et al, 2020; Patankar, 2019; Spaet, 2019; Ward‐Paige et al, 2020). However, fishers' meaningful participation in research and fisheries decision‐making processes is absent in Bangladesh.…”

Spinner dolphin residency in tropical atoll lagoons: Diurnal presence, seasonal variability and implications for nutrient dynamics

“…Various enforcement and surveillance technologies are currently being deployed to tackle Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fisheries active inside the Chagos MPA (Collins et al., 2021). Here, PAM deployed for IUU surveillance offered the opportunity to investigate habitat use by cetaceans associated with atoll lagoons, although this was not the primary objective of the deployment.…”

SmallSats: a new technological frontier in ecology and conservation?

“…Detecting vessels in a vast ocean is inherently difficult due to the sheer scale involved. Although traditional satellite remote sensing already plays a role in monitoring illegal activity at sea (Kurekin et al., 2019; Oozeki et al., 2017), the detection of small wooden vessels often involved in IUU fishing (Collins et al., 2021) remains particularly difficult, especially considering the infrequent acquisitions of medium‐high resolution earth observation data over the oceans. A SmallSat constellation targeted on specific water masses (e.g., a marine protected area) with greater spatial resolution could better detect small vessels operating illegally (Kanjir et al., 2016; Lazreg et al., 2018), especially if combined with artificial intelligence (Soldi et al., 2020).…”