An Assessment of the Institutional Policy and Legal Regime to Combat IUU Fishing: A Review on the Journey of Bangladesh Towards Sustainable Blue Economy

Author: Md Abdul Latif, M. Arifur Rahman, Lifat Rahi, S. M. Mustafizur Rahman, Shoukot Kabir Chowdhury, Md Badiul Alam Shufol, Muhammad Tanvir Hossain Chowdhury, Md. Towfiqul Arif
DOI: doi.org/10.70279/bmj-v6-i1-1059
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As a developing coastal State, Bangladesh aspires for harnessing the potentials like ensuring food security, fulfilling nutritional deficiency, rendering employment opportunity, generating income and export earnings through sustainable using of its Blue Economy. Comprehensive combating against Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a holistic approach to protect marine ecosystem, biodiversity, survival of threatened and endangered marine species, and secure livelihood of small-scale fishers. Institutional set-up seeks more personnel and logistic potency along with the modernization of monitoring, controlling and surveillance mechanism for preventing IUU Fishing. The National Plane of Action -IUU Fishing (NPOA -IUU) addressed several general and special measure with some priority actions for preventing, controlling and eliminating IUU fishing from our maritime boundary through enhancing organizational and professional capacity. Ensuring inclusiveness and no one behind philosophy of SDG, integration of the interest and ownership of the small-scale fishers on the territorial water should be considered in the National Plan of Action. Apart from NPOA-IUU, fighting against IUU fishing requires more focus in marine fisheries management, maritime zone related policies, and strategies as well as national policy documents. Legal instruments of the country need incorporation of IUU fishing issue in a comprehensive way to facilitate legitimate fishing and to enhance law enforcement against illegal fishers. Regional and international fisheries management organizations necessitate regular communication, collaboration and information sharing to win over free riders as well as ensure sustainable blue economy.