Addressing Marine Wildlife Crime: Legal Frameworks, Trafficking Networks, and Enforcement Challenges

Session Submission Type: Pre-arranged Panel

Abstract

Marine wildlife crime poses significant threats to biodiversity and species conservation, yet it often remains on the margins of mainstream criminal justice policy and even green criminology. This panel brings together interdisciplinary research that examines the legal, criminological, and enforcement challenges associated with marine wildlife crime, including illegal fishing, smuggling, and the laundering of protected species into legal markets. The first paper evaluates the effectiveness of the UK’s legal framework in protecting marine wildlife, highlighting enforcement gaps and the need for integration into broader crime policy. The second paper expands on this theme by analysing high-value species enforcement, emphasizing the role of public involvement and authority responses in combating illegal fishing. The third paper examines the illicit trade in whale shark fins, demonstrating how traffickers exploit legal markets to launder protected fins, creating challenges for enforcement. The fourth paper applies crime script analysis to the smuggling of European eels, revealing the structured nature of trafficking networks and the need for targeted intervention strategies. The fifth paper presents data innovations for illegal fishing which could help addresses the scarcity of data on illegal fishing, particularly of non-CITES protected species. Together, these papers offer new insights into the intersection of environmental crime, policy, and enforcement, emphasizing the need for enhanced legal mechanisms, investigative strategies, and innovative data-driven approaches to combat marine wildlife crime effectively.

Subtopic

• Topic 2: Types of Offending / Environmental/Green Criminology

Chair

• Monica Pons-Hernandez, University of Bergen

Individual Presentations

• Preventing Marine Wildlife Crime: An evaluation of legal protection and Enforcement Perspectives - Angus Nurse, Anglia Ruskin University

• Public and Authorities in High-Value Species Enforcement: Insights from Commercial Lobster and Glass Eel Fisheries - Véronique Chadillon-Farinacci, Université de Moncton; Ellie Côté, Université de Moncton; Marc-Antoine Haché De Grâce, Université de Moncton

• Applying Crime Script Analysis to Eel Trafficking: Examining Smuggling Networks and Enforcement Challenges - Monica Pons-Hernandez, University of Bergen; Gohar A. Petrossian, John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Nerea Marteache, California State University San Bernardino

• Data innovations for illegal fishing - Tanya Wyatt, UNODC