Review of Alin Kadfak, Kate Barclay, and Andrew M. Song, EU Trade-Related Measures Against Illegal Fishing: Policy Diffusion and Effectiveness in Thailand and Australia

This lucid open access book addresses the age-old paradox that legislating is insufficient to remedy societal ills; it is also necessary to persuade people to obey the laws.Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a major and pressing worldwide concern.The authors cite statistics that annual IUU landings are estimated at 26 million tons globally, or one-in-five wild-caught fish, with yearly illicit profits of up to USD 23 billion.From a legal perspective, IUU fishing also unfairly benefits offenders while disadvantaging those who obey the law.As a crime, IUU can be inherently perilous to investigate or denounce.As a worldwide issue, it has been dealt with in diverse ways.Traditionally, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS; 1982), supplemented by the 2001 International Plan of Action against IUU fishing (IPOA-IUU) have attempted to address the problem.In Thailand, more strenuous measures were needed.The authors point to the case of Thailand as a positive example of the European Union (EU) IUU regulation on national fisheries management.