The objective of this ongoing research is to investigate, define, delineate, and characterize the primary forms of illegal and unsustainable Distant Water Fishing (DWF) operations. Illegal DWF practices include the use of illegal gear types, or fishing within restricted waters. However, legal DWF practices may also be unsustainable, notably to the marine environment and people’s livelihoods in coastal states. Examples of unsustainable practices of DWF nations include, among others: use of flagging or licensing schemes (flags of convenience), the use of opaque corporate structures , and resource access through the establishment of joint ventures with coastal states.
Once we have characterized the different forms of illegal and unsustainable fishing by DWF, we will map DWF activity across temporal and spatial scales in different geographies, as well as the level of interaction and conflict between DWF nations and domestic fleets. This research will provide new information for identifying and describing conflict in fisheries, and it will help us identify in which areas management interventions are urgently needed to reduce inequalities in resource use .