Bluefin tuna fishery policy in Malta: The plight of artisanal fishermen caught in the capitalist net

Said, A.E., MacMillan, Douglas C., Tzanopoulos, Joseph (2016) Bluefin tuna fishery policy in Malta: The plight of artisanal fishermen caught in the capitalist net. Marine Policy, 73 . pp. 27-34. ISSN 0308-597X. (doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2016.07.025)

Abstract

The bluefin tuna fishery has undergone a major shift in Malta, moving from an open access artisanal nature to a privatized and industrialized activity dominated by the purse seining fleet and the BFT ranching industry.The shift has been exacerbated by the national implementation of anindividual transferable quota system, which has enabled the concertation of quotas into fewer hands.The main objective of this article is to understand how privatization hasevolved within the sector and the way the Maltese artisanal fishermen are experiencing the shift. This study takes an exploratory mixed-method approach to quantitatively and qualitatively understand how policy underpinnings interplay with the sustainability dimension of the small-scale fishing sector. Results show that the transition of the bluefin tuna fishery from artisanal to industrial has generated a legitimacy crisis over fishing rights, decreased profitability amongst most of the artisanal fleet, and led to a series of socio-ecological impacts on the artisanal fisheries system at large.It is concluded that the neo-liberal trajectories of industrialization have directly undermined the continued sustainability of artisanal fishing communities.

Item Type:	Article
DOI/Identification number:	10.1016/j.marpol.2016.07.025
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography
Divisions:	Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Depositing User:	Douglas MacMillan
Date Deposited:	22 Aug 2016 10:56 UTC
Last Modified:	29 May 2019 17:44 UTC
Resource URI:	https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/56913 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)