Mirage of Pirates: State-Corporate Crime in West Africa&apos;s Fisheries

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State Crime Journal

Volume 4, Issue 2

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Mirage of Pirates: State-Corporate Crime in West Africa's Fisheries

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Author(s): André Standing ¹

Publication date (Print, pub): 1 October 2015

Journal: State Crime Journal

Publisher: Pluto Journals

Keywords: fisheries, state-corporate crime, corruption

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Abstract

This article applies the concept of state-corporate crime to the fisheries sector. It presents a case study from Senegal where Russian, European and Asian fishing firms supported by their home governments, gained access to overfished stocks that are vital to local food security and the artisanal fishing sector. The discussion elaborates on the main observations from Senegal about the nature and implications of state-corporate crime, drawing on further evidence from other countries. It provides a contrasting perspective to mainstream fisheries policy, including the global fight against “fish pirates”, and the dictates of the wealth-based approach to fisheries reform.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): statecrime

Title: State Crime Journal

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 20466056

ISSN (Electronic): 20466064

Publication date (Print, pub): 1 October 2015

Volume: 4

Issue: 2

Pages: 175-197

Affiliations

[1 ] Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements in Belgium;

Article

Publisher ID: statecrime.4.2.0175

DOI: 10.13169/statecrime.4.2.0175

SO-VID: ca58f649-8737-4e56-bea8-b86dd66ab864

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

Notes

Pirogues are locally made canoes, from which fishers use a combination of nets or hand-lines.
Personal communication, Dakar, August 2011.
This was explained to the author by an employee of an EU-funded fisheries programme in Dakar, August 2011.
Personal communication, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bissau, June 2011.
The European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) published a press release describing this in 2009 titled “Is Europe Really Giving Senegal a Raw Deal?” Available online at http://transparentsea.co/images/b/bc/Ec.europa.eu_fisheries_cfp_international_agreements_senegal_senegal_0808_en.pdf.
Personal communication, CONIPAS, Dakar, July 2011.
See “Russia Estimates Amounts of Fish in Senegalese Waters” Voice of Russia , 29 December 2012. Available online at http://transparentsea.co/images/7/75/Russia_estimates_amounts_of_fish_in_Senegalese_waters.pdf.
Russia accuses Senegal of “piracy”, Al Jezzeera , 10 January 2014.
Personal communication, Greenpeace, Dakar, January 2014.
The author is aware of several examples, but the problem is poorly written up in the literature.
On the purchase of the patrol boats, see statement on the Republic of Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture's website: “President Commissions New Patrol Boats for Fisheries”, 1 March 2012.
Mozambique attempts to placate donors about $850 million bond, Mail and Guardian Newspaper , 14 November 2013.
The Economist , “Investing in Frontier Markets: A Fishy Tail”, 23 November 2013.

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Comment on this article

[1] Pirogues are locally made canoes, from which fishers use a combination of nets or hand-lines.

[2] Personal communication, Dakar, August 2011.

[3] This was explained to the author by an employee of an EU-funded fisheries programme in Dakar, August 2011.

[4] Personal communication, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bissau, June 2011.

[5] The European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) published a press release describing this in 2009 titled “Is Europe Really Giving Senegal a Raw Deal?” Available online at http://transparentsea.co/images/b/bc/Ec.europa.eu_fisheries_cfp_international_agreements_senegal_senegal_0808_en.pdf.

[6] Personal communication, CONIPAS, Dakar, July 2011.

[7] See “Russia Estimates Amounts of Fish in Senegalese Waters” Voice of Russia , 29 December 2012. Available online at http://transparentsea.co/images/7/75/Russia_estimates_amounts_of_fish_in_Senegalese_waters.pdf.

[8] Russia accuses Senegal of “piracy”, Al Jezzeera , 10 January 2014.

[9] Personal communication, Greenpeace, Dakar, January 2014.

[10] The author is aware of several examples, but the problem is poorly written up in the literature.

[11] On the purchase of the patrol boats, see statement on the Republic of Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture's website: “President Commissions New Patrol Boats for Fisheries”, 1 March 2012.

[12] Mozambique attempts to placate donors about $850 million bond, Mail and Guardian Newspaper , 14 November 2013.

[13] The Economist , “Investing in Frontier Markets: A Fishy Tail”, 23 November 2013.