IJCOPE Journal

UGC Logo DOI / ISO Logo

International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management

A Peer-Reviewed, Open-Access International Journal Supporting Multidisciplinary Research, Digital Publishing Standards, DOI Registration, and Academic Indexing.
Journal Information
ISSN: 3108-1754 (Online)
Crossref DOI: Available
ISO Certification: 9001:2015
Publication Fee: 599/- INR
Compliance: UGC Journal Norms
License: CC BY 4.0
Peer Review: Double Blind
Volume 02, Issue 6

Published on: June 2026

ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED (IUU) FISHING AS MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME IN INDIA: LEGAL GAPS, ENFORCEMENT DEFICITS, AND THE BLUE ECONOMY AT RISK

SURIYA T

DOI:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i6.419

Article Status

Plagiarism Passed Peer Reviewed Open Access

Available Documents

Download PDF Review Report

Abstract

India commands a formidable maritime position — a 7,516-kilometre coastline, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of more than two million square kilometres, and a marine fisheries sector sustaining the livelihoods of over 28 million coastal citizens. Yet this maritime domain is gravely imperilled by a form of organised environmental crime that remains structurally underaddressed within Indian law and policy: Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.[1] As the world's second-largest fish-producing nation,[2] India confronts persistent IUU activity within its EEZ and in the wider Indian Ocean Region (IOR), with estimates placing illegal and unreported catches at between 16 and 34 percent of total Indian Ocean harvests.[3]

This paper examines IUU fishing through the lens of green criminology and maritime law, arguing that its scale, organisational sophistication, and intersection with other criminal enterprises categorise it as a form of transnational marine environmental crime.[4] Drawing on international instruments including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),[5] the FAO Port State Measures Agreement, and the Cape Town Agreement, as well as domestic legislation and judicial materials, the paper undertakes a comprehensive assessment of India's legal and enforcement architecture. It identifies four structural deficits — legislative fragmentation, jurisdictional ambiguity, inadequate vessel surveillance, and limited multilateral engagement — and proposes a tripartite reform model to address them. Without urgent reform, India's Blue Economy ambitions risk being undermined by a governance failure of its own making.

Keywords

IUU Fishing  •  Marine Environmental Crime  •  India  •  UNCLOS  •  Blue Economy

Maritime Enforcement  •  Exclusive Economic Zone  •  Indian Ocean Region  •  Green Criminology

How to Cite this Paper

T, S. (2026). ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED (IUU) FISHING AS MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME IN INDIA: Legal Gaps, Enforcement Deficits, and the Blue Economy At Risk. International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, <i>02</i>(6). https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i6.419

T, SURIYA. "ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED (IUU) FISHING AS MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME IN INDIA: Legal Gaps, Enforcement Deficits, and the Blue Economy At Risk." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, vol. 02, no. 6, 2026, pp. . doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i6.419.

T, SURIYA. "ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED (IUU) FISHING AS MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME IN INDIA: Legal Gaps, Enforcement Deficits, and the Blue Economy At Risk." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management 02, no. 6 (2026). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i6.419.

Search & Index

Google Scholar Crossref DOI ResearchGate

References


  1. Primary Sources — International Instruments

  2. Cape Town Agreement on the Implementation of the Provisions of the Torremolinos Protocol of 1993, opened for signature 11 October 2012 (not yet in force).

  3. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, opened for signature 22 November 2009, [2016] ATS 10 (entered into force 5 June 2016).

  4. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (FAO 2001).

  5. International Labour Organization, Work in Fishing Convention (C188, 2007).

  6. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, opened for signature 10 December 1982, 1833 UNTS 3 (entered into force 16 November 1994).

  7. WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, MC12 Outcome Document (Geneva, 17 June 2022).

  8. Primary Sources — Indian Legislation and Policy

  9. National Policy on Marine Fisheries 2017 (India), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

  10. Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (India).

  11. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Scheme Guidelines (Department of Fisheries, Government of India 2020).

  12. Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act 1976 (India).

  13. Secondary Sources — Books

  14. Klein N, Dispute Settlement in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Cambridge University Press 2005).

  15. White R, Crimes Against Nature: Environmental Criminology and Ecological Justice (Willan Publishing 2008).

  16. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Transnational Organized Crime in the Fishing Industry (UNODC 2011).

Ethical Compliance & Review Process

  • •All submissions are screened under plagiarism detection.
  • •Review follows editorial policy.
  • •Authors retain copyright.
  • •Peer Review Type: Double-Blind Peer Review
  • •Published on: Jul 01 2026
CCBYNC

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You are free to share and adapt this work for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution.

View License
Back to Volume 02, Issue 6View All Issues Next Article

← Previous Article

Identification, Assessment and Management of Critical Risks in Hydroelectric Projects

Next Article →

Impact of 3rd Phase Consolidation of RRBs in Other States on the Financial Performance of RRBs in Odisha
Scroll to Top