Fugitive species, biopolitical meshworks. Fishing ontologies and the rise of the public in San Blas (Nayarit) Mexico

Abstract This article analyses the rise and the constitution of the public in fisheries. From a relational view, the public is conceived around issues in their connections to human and non-human actors, who are affected by a shared experience of harm to such an extent that it is deemed necessary to have those consequences systematically taken care of. To do so, we focus on the conflict nodes that emerge when different fisheries compete for access to fishing resources within a context of species depletion. We examine how these controversial issues have connections to politics and the public. By exploring these issues and their human and non-human connections, we discern the biopolitical nature of the conflict, as actors tend to disrupt how the State regulates the appropriation of marine spaces. We also propose the ontological composition of the public. In doing so, we bring differences in fishing technologies, purposes and ways of appropriation to the attention, leading us to conclude that the clashes of various ontologies are enacted in overlapping marine zones. Ultimately, we argue that the ontological conflicts shaping the public are deeply intertwined with the tensions between relational fishing engagements and object-oriented fishing practices, which, in turn, significantly influence fishing policies.