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Blue Justice and Inland Fisheries: How Justice Principles Could Support Transformative Knowledge Production in the Mekong Region

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Blue Justice

Part of the book series: MARE Publication Series ((MARE,volume 26))

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Abstract

The Mekong region is experiencing rapid economic and social change, frequently presented as transitioning from an agricultural to industrial economy. Investment in large-scale hydropower development is central to this strategy, in which small-scale fisheries are most at risk. Small-scale fisheries in the region represent up to 17% of global inland fisheries production, providing between 27% and 78% of animal protein in rural diets. Despite the high importance of fisheries, they frequently appear within regional debates as facing a very bleak future under practically any circumstances. Lacking a significant role within future development scenarios, fisheries become framed as a subject for conservation and protection in the face of inevitable change. The resulting focus is one of minimizing and mitigating the impacts of regional economic development and increasing restrictions within fisheries. From this starting point, the future of small-scale fisheries lies in reducing access and transitioning fishers into other ‘more viable’ economic activities. This dominant framing is considered from a Blue Justice perspective, focusing on knowledge production and the contributions of fisheries science to regional development debates. At this critical juncture, these debates reveal that alternative perspectives and processes of knowledge generation are needed that present the developmental contributions and opportunities represented by small-scale fisheries. Approaches are also required that can challenge the exclusion and marginalization of small-scale fishers, opening the possibility for more socially just research agendas. These changes would enable small-scale fishers to participate in debates, represent their interests, and restore their rights.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Woodhill Solutions, Longtown, Herefordshire, UK

    Robert I. Arthur

  2. Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK

    Richard M. Friend

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  1. Robert I. Arthur
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Svein Jentoft

  2. Department of Geography, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada

    Ratana Chuenpagdee

  3. Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Animal Rights, Valletta, Malta

    Alicia Bugeja Said

  4. University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa

    Moenieba Isaacs

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Arthur, R.I., Friend, R.M. (2022). Blue Justice and Inland Fisheries: How Justice Principles Could Support Transformative Knowledge Production in the Mekong Region. In: Jentoft, S., Chuenpagdee, R., Bugeja Said, A., Isaacs, M. (eds) Blue Justice. MARE Publication Series, vol 26. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89624-9_19

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