The elusive sustainable growth: The formation of institutional socio-ecological traps in Peruvian anchoveta fisheries

In Peru, government agencies have set out to regulate the profitable anchoveta fishery to increase its efficiency and sustainability. Current government regulations seek to eradicate informal and illegal fishing activities and include a differentiated set of regulations for industrial and small-scale fisheries to prevent overfishing. However, overfishing continues, threatening the reproduction of the anchoveta biomass. Moreover, informal and illegal activities not only persist but are intertwined with formal practices and legal frameworks, fostering processes of institutional hybridisation. Why has the implementation of sound state regulations for sustainable fishing ended up contributing to anchoveta depredation? From a political ecology perspective, we argue that we are witnessing the formation of institutional socio-ecological traps driven by power dynamics in the context of increasing institutional hybridisation. To develop our argument, we show how legal inequalities in access to anchoveta resources foster the emergence of informal fishing practices and hybrid institutions. We then analyse how, in the context of increasing demand and institutional hybridisation, powerful extractive actors are able to circumvent restrictive policies such as quotas and vessel permits designed to prevent overfishing, leading to the exacerbation of inequalities. Methodologically, this article draws on a qualitative case study of industrial and small-scale anchoveta fishing practices and regulations in Peru.