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Property rights and the protection of global marine resources

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  • Gabriel Englander

    (University of California, Berkeley
    University of California, Berkeley)

Abstract

Managing global marine resources by assigning property rights could align economic and conservation incentives, but only if unauthorized resource use is deterred. Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) are country-level property rights to marine resources, covering approximately 39% of the ocean’s surface and accounting for more than 95% of global marine fish catch. However, EEZs might not be respected by unauthorized resource users because the cost of monitoring and enforcing such large areas may be prohibitive. Here we provide the first evidence that EEZs are in fact respected by unauthorized resource users. Using global, high-resolution fishing effort datasets and the ecologically arbitrary boundaries between EEZs and the high seas, we find that unauthorized foreign fishing is 81% lower just inside EEZs compared to just outside. Consistent with the high cost of enforcing EEZ boundaries, this deterrence effect is concentrated in EEZs that are most valuable near their boundaries. Our results suggest that property rights institutions can enable effective governance of global marine resource use.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriel Englander, 2019. "Property rights and the protection of global marine resources," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 2(10), pages 981-987, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natsus:v:2:y:2019:i:10:d:10.1038_s41893-019-0389-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0389-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Scott Barrett, 2023. "Property Rights to the World’s (Linear) Ocean Fisheries in Customary International Law," CESifo Working Paper Series 10567, CESifo.
    2. Frederik Noack & Ashley Larsen & Johannes Kamp & Christian Levers, 2022. "A bird's eye view of farm size and biodiversity: The ecological legacy of the iron curtain," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(4), pages 1460-1484, August.
    3. Veronica Relano & Maria Lourdes Deng Palomares & Daniel Pauly, 2021. "Comparing the Performance of Four Very Large Marine Protected Areas with Different Levels of Protection," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-18, August.
    4. Lu, Yifan & Yamazaki, Satoshi, 2023. "Antarctic Sanctuary: Behavioural Impact of International Marine Protected Areas," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335483, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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