This study applies O’Hara’s principles of the institutional evolutionary political economy (IEPE) approach to explore the socioeconomic issues surrounding coral reef degradation in Indonesia. The threats to Indonesia’s coral reef ecosystems are historically complex, particularly tied to conflicts and contradictions among diverse agents and institutions in the use of marine resources, which have negatively impacted coastal environments. According to the IEPE principle of historical specificity, the degradation of coral reef ecosystems began to accelerate with the rise of destructive fishing practices in the 1970s and 1980s, further exacerbated by increasing corporate investments in fisheries and marine tourism from the 1990s onward. The principles of contradiction and uneven development help explain how environmental conflicts, driven by rapid coastal urbanization and industrialization, have led to significant waste, pollution, and climate-related issues, all contributing to coral reef destruction. Uneven development contributes to coral reef degradation because rapid coastal urbanization and fisheries expansion have been accompanied by persistent coastal poverty and weak marine conservation governance. Since the 1990s, Indonesia’s fisheries expansion has created a structural contradiction whereby market-driven exploitation and governance constraints offset conservation gains, resulting in coral reefs largely stabilizing rather than substantially recovering despite initiatives such as COREMAP.

The fishing industry plays an essential role in Vietnam’s socioeconomic development, providing jobs to millions of workers. In recent years, fishing labor shortages have occurred on many fishing vessels in all capture fisheries, including small-scale and larger-scale fisheries in Vietnam. However, information pertaining to Vietnam’s fishing laborers has been limited for many years. In this study, a combination of secondary data methods and analysis of survey interviews with fishers who are fishing vessels’ owners and fisheries authorities in some key coastal provinces was used to answer the following questions: i) what are the difficulties in recruiting fishing labor in Vietnam’s capture fisheries? ii) How do fishing vessel owners respond to fishing labor’s shortages? Study results show many difficulties in crew labor issues in Vietnam in terms of finding crew members and maintaining minimum conditions for the number of workers on fishing vessels. Many reasons are found that cause the shortage of fishing laborers working on vessels. The owners of the fishing vessel have various ways to address this situation, including forcing fishing vessels to lie ashore or even go fishing in the case of labor shortage, switching to alternatives that require fewer human resources, actively seeking labor in other areas such as remote and mountainous areas, and increasing the share rate and deposit for fishing vessels fishing mates. Several solutions are proposed according to the results to overcome the labor shortage in Vietnam's capture fisheries.

The Korean government has decided to develop fishcakes as a strategic export product for the next generation as part of the globalization strategy of Korean seafood, paying a lot of attention to the fish export. To promote the growth of this sector, it is necessary to understand the current situation and prepare appropriate countermeasures for export expansion. This study analyzes the export competitiveness of Korean fishcakes, comparing the competitiveness of Korea and its export competitors from various angles by using various measures to assess the comparative advantage. In this paper, Asian countries with a high share of the global fishcake export market were selected for analysis, and revealed comparative advantage, comparative advantage by country, and market comparative advantage measures were used. As a result of analysis, it is shown that Korea's exports of fishcakes have a comparative advantage over rival countries, indicating that fishcakes have a high export potential.

This study assesses the economic impact of the People's Republic of China's Distant Water Fleet (DWF) on smallscale fisheries (SSFs) in the South China Sea (SCS), a vital area for marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of coastal communities. Through analysis of vessel tracking and local fisheries statistics from 2012 to 2020, the research investigates the effects of DWF activities on marine fish capture rates and socio-economic indicators in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Results indicate that a 1 % increase in PRC DWF activity leads to a 0.1 % decrease in SSF marine capture in Indonesia's FMA 711, a 0.05% reduction in Malaysia, a 0.01 % drop in the Philippines, and a 0.04 % decrease in Vietnam. These findings highlight the significant negative impact of PRC's DWF presence on local marine fish captures, suggesting adverse effects on SSF livelihoods. The study underscores the importance of implementing sustainable fishing practices and strengthening regional cooperation to mitigate the negative consequences of foreign DWF activities on local economies and ecosystems. This research contributes to the discourse on marine policy and sustainable fisheries management in the SCS, emphasizing the critical need for international collaboration to address the challenges of DWF operations.

Vietnamese illegal fishing in foreign waters is a prominent issue that has led to a yellow card warning from the European Commission (EC) on 23 October 2017. Although Vietnam has made considerable efforts to halt illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and clear this yellow card, the results were insufficient to remove the yellow card as of the beginning of 2022. The present study analyses why addressing this issue has been so challenging. Specifically, the following questions are addressed: i) how do local fisheries authorities implement central regulation policies against IUU fishing and ii) what are the bottlenecks in legal enforcement for both fisheries agencies and fishers? The secondary data analysis and the findings from interviews with government officials and fishers are presented. The authorities have implemented various approaches to prevent illegal fishing in foreign waters. These include an improved policy framework, law enforcement, fishing vessel management and supervision with vessel monitoring system (VMS), and increased responsibilities attached to the local fisheries authorities. Despite the several measures taken, illegal fishing in foreign waters continues. There are several reasons for the failure to control illegal fishing, including exhausted local marine resources, too many fishing boats operating in the same areas, unclear responsibilities of stakeholders, and lack of coordination among implementing authorities. Several recommendations are suggested for addressing the problem of IUU fishing of Vietnamese vessels in foreign waters to meet the criteria set by the EC to remove the yellow card and ensure that the results are long-lasting and substantive.

Governments in select locales around the world have recently either restricted or closed commercial marine aquarium fisheries, impacting the livelihoods of fishers, traders, and others who depend on them. This paper offers an objective assessment of Florida's commercial marine aquarium fish fishery and its regulatory landscape to inform and guide stakeholders about management strategies for the fishery moving forward, and to highlight successful regulations in place in Florida that merit consideration for adoption in other source locales around the world. The study discovered that the State has a strong regulatory structure for the commercial fishery operated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; practicing co-management with fishers, and utilizing license and permitting requirements, conventional fisheries management measures and technical actions to regulate fishing mortality, and rights-based management approaches. Additionally, both fisheries-independent and dependent surveys have been conducted in recent years to assess the fishery. Consequently, the vast majority of fish species collected commercially for the trade indicate stable or increasing catch trends in Florida waters over 10 + years. Moving forward, the fishery can benefit from an assessment of the economic impacts of the regulatory framework on its fishers, a statewide fisheries management plan specific for the fishery, the further development of a comprehensive program for fisheries data collection and analysis to address data gaps, an assessment of resources at hand and those needed to implement these recommendations, and the elevation of marine aquarium fisheries for support at the national level to support state-level management.

In 1999, the Long Island Sound American lobster population experienced a severe mortality event, resulting in the abrupt demise of this culturally and economically important fishery. While studies have investigated the environmental and biological causes and effects of this event, little has been done to understand its social, economic, psychological, and cultural impacts. In this study, we interviewed lobstermen and seafood wholesalers who were affected by the die-off to understand their experiences and perceptions of impacts, and factors influencing their capacity to adapt. We compared our findings to those in the sole socio-economic impact assessment conducted in the aftermath of the event. Our findings show that the die-off had profound and lasting impacts on individuals, their families, and communities with little evidence of a successful recovery. The lack of effective and comprehensive recovery or assistance plans, combined with challenges impeding fishery diversification, significantly hindered the ability of lobstermen to adapt. The lessons learned from this case study can inform future action to address impacts and maximize adaptive capacity in fishing communities experiencing environmental changes and shifts in species distributions due to climate change and other anthropogenic factors.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities have negatively impacted Vietnam fisheries. As a result, the European Commission (EC) issued a yellow card warning in October 2017. This paper examines how Vietnam has responded to the EC’s recommendations to address the yellow card. The analysis used a mix of documents analysis and online group discussion approaches. Although Vietnam has made considerable efforts to halt IUU fishing and clear the yellow card, the results are still insufficient to remove the yellow card. However, the yellow card has brought about positive signals for Vietnamese fisheries management. It is also an opportunity for the national marine fisheries sector and fishers communities to be more responsible in fishing. Institutional and legal regulations have been refined to be in line with international rules and enormously improved the enforcement capacity of the fisheries management system for fishers to end the situation of fishing vessels engaged in illegal fishing in the waters of Vietnam and other countries. Recommended actions to address the yellow card include finalisation of the fisheries guidance decrees in line with obligations to combating IUU fishing, more robust sanctions, strengthening the monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) system, information dissemination and education of the fisheries law and relevant regulations, and apply an electronic catch documentation and traceability (eCDT) system.

The Korean government focuses attention on the branding of fisheries products to improve the competitive power of fisheries products, and to use regional brands as a part of fishery product branding. Accordingly, this paper examines the value of regional brands in the fishery product market, specifically seaweed, to identify price factors that reflect regional differences. The hedonic pricing method is used to examine the value of regional branding, and as a result of the analysis, geographical indication is expected to cause an approximate 30-40% increase in the unit price of sea mustard and sea tangle. Geographical indication is shown to have an effect on forming the value of a product, implying regional branding can improve competitiveness.

This paper describes the impacts of and responses to COVID-19 of small-scale fisheries in six selected countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The paper used a structured case study approach to analyse the impacts and responses and relied heavily on existing reports and data sources in each country. The pandemic has further revealed the vulnerability of small-scale fishing households in the region. Given the few assets of fisher households, their ability to cushion the negative impact of crises and shocks is limited. Fishers made adaptive responses such as direct fish marketing, online marketing, and home delivery services. While short-term responses of providing food and financial assistance have been helpful, long-term support to address pandemics such as COVID-19 and other stressors will require developing more resilient fishing households. The paper recommends several approaches and interventions to improve household resilience and to be better prepared for similar challenges and threats in the future. These include: i) strengthening the fishing households’ social network of friends, relatives, and neighbours to serve as both a social safety net and a bridge towards the transition to financial inclusion; ii) diversifying livelihood to reduce dependency on the fishery and provide for additional sources of income and food; iii) promoting financial inclusion through savings, credit, digital payment products, and insurance; iv) value chain upgrading through post-harvest fish handling and processing methods; and, v) providing access, especially for women, to social protection measures such as government health insurance and social security.

Marine conservation in Indonesia is complicated by the 1,000s of islands and nearly as many languages and cultures that stretch across this 3200 mile (5100 km) country. Secure marine tenure has improved the prospects for sustainable fishing and livelihoods in many places around the world, and there are some traditional, historical examples of tenure in Indonesia. Where tenure institutions exist, however, they have typically been undermined by colonial and post-colonial policies, and in the vast majority of places, marine tenure and other rights (hak) to marine resources have either been extinguished or never existed. The issue is fraught: tenure rights may provide communities with the security to invest in and manage their fishery resources for long-term sustainability, but there is also a history in Indonesia of disenfranchisement in the name of conservation. This paper considers pathways to revitalizing marine tenure rights in Indonesia, documenting the evolution and current status of marine tenure rights in Indonesia, existing legal and policy frameworks that support marine tenure rights, and challenges to marine tenure rights. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening and expanding marine tenure rights in Indonesia and prospects for the development of a national policy on marine tenure rights.

Many Pacific islands are facing increasing anthropogenic threats including climatic impacts on the fisheries which provide communities’ livelihoods and food security. Knowledge of these communities’ social adaptive capacity is critical to inform climate adaptation planning and fisheries management in the region. The present study examines social adaptive capacity in four fishing communities in the Federated States of Micronesia and Guam. Researchers used a framework based on five social adaptive capacity factors (diversity and flexibility, access to assets, learning and knowledge, governance and institutions, and agency) to develop indicators that were relevant to the study sites and conducted 262 household surveys, seven focus groups with 45 participants, and 25 key informant interviews. A combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses shows: high levels of livelihood flexibility and perceived agency to address climate risks; social networks as most vital community asset; significant utility of traditional knowledge combined with scientific information; and, the need for governments and leadership to develop effective sustainable fisheries governance that prevents further fisheries resource degradation and helps develop alternative sustainable livelihoods for fishers.

The specification of user rights and the devolution of fisheries management and allocation decisions to the local fisher and community level has been found to be an effective approach to improved fisheries management. Rare's Fish Forever's policy and governance work supports and strengthens legal and functional community rights-based management and exclusive access rights to coastal fisheries through managed access with reserves (MA+R). This paper presents an analysis of the legal, regulatory and institutional pathways undertaken to establish MA+R in Brazil, Indonesia and the Philippines for local communities to secure and strengthen both legal and functional access rights to fisheries resources. The pathways used involved interpreting and adapting a mix of fisheries, marine conservation, marine protected area and government administrative and legal instruments at national and local levels. Several common pathways to establishing and implementing MA+R were identified including partnerships and engagement with leaders and community members, committed local champions and scaling up from experience.

Climate change and its impact on fisheries is a key issue for fishing nations, particularly the Philippines. The Philippines is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on fisheries and it can lead to economic shock on the nation's economy. This paper examines the impact of climate change on marine capture fisheries in the Philippines using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to elaborate and project impacts on the national economy. In the simulation, one baseline scenario and two climate change scenarios based on greenhouse gas concentration—RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5—were considered. The model focuses on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and income distribution by region, which can represent economic conditions in terms of economic growth and distribution. Results show that there will be a negative change on both the fisheries and economic variables where more extreme changes in climate occur.

EDITORIAL article Front. Mar. Sci., 30 June 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00455

There is an emerging consensus among academics and resource managers that successful resource management systems must be developed locally and account for a diverse range of political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors. In this research we evaluate and categorize the fishers' perspectives on the environmental, economic, social, and legal impacts of transitioning from a private property system to community fisheries in Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake. Specifically, this paper uses interview results (N= 523) to assess the perceptions of local communities following a reform in 2012, whereby a commercial leasehold system was replaced with a community-based fishery management system. Results demonstrate that this conversion of fishery management systems is perceived as helping to improve economic, environmental, and legal conditions at the macro-level, but improvements in economic productivity at the individual level are inconclusive. This paper reveals the inherent complexity, benefits, and trade-offs involved in community-based management by exploring fishers' perceptions. One implication of this study is that the data reinforce the importance of participatory engagement in the development of resource management systems.

Lack of access to financial services leaves fishing households and their fishing businesses with limited options to obtain financing and manage cash flow for family expenses or business investments. The lack of access is filled by informal lenders that can also be the primary buyers of fish or the owners of the boats. For rural fishing households, access to formal financial services, also known as financial inclusion, can bring increased financial resilience to the household. The paper reviews the current barriers to financial inclusion of small-scale fishing households such as limited financial capability and literacy, lack of assets for collateral, geographic distance from a financial institution and lack of formal identification. It also discusses solutions to address these barriers including financial literacy, de-risking financial institutions, financial data collection, provision of a range of financial services besides credit, and understanding the client that will enable fishing households to retain control over their earnings and savings. Financial inclusion can help reduce the different vulnerabilities of poor fishing households and rural communities and lead to improved economic resilience.