Bluefin tuna fishery policy in Malta: The plight of artisanal fishermen caught in the capitalist net |
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| Institution: | 1. Marine Science Institute and Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA;2. Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33149, US;3. Rare, Guadalajara, México 44630, United States;4. Belize Fisheries Department, Belize City, Belize;5. Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, Punta Gorda, Belize;6. Environmental Defense Fund, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States;7. MER Consultants, Stuart, FL 34997, United States;8. Wildlife Conservation Society, Belize City, Belize;9. The Nature Conservancy, Belize City, Belize;10. The Nature Conservancy and Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA;1. Cathy Dichmont Consulting, Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia;2. CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia;3. CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Castray Esplanade, Hobart, Tas, Australia;4. School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA;1. School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for the Study of Institutional Diversity, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA;2. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA |
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| 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 an individual transferable quota system, which has enabled the concertation of quotas into fewer hands. The main objective of this article is to understand how privatization has evolved 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. |
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