Overfishing in the 'Blue Hole'

The scale of unregulated fishing in a disputed region close to the Falkland Islands (Malvinas in Argentina) in the South Atlantic has reached an unsustainable level that is threatening fish populations and the biodiversity in the area.

The ocean area is known as the ‘Blue Hole’, a stretch of the south Atlantic Ocean lying approximately 300 kilometres off the coast of Argentina and north of the Falkland Islands, and is one of the few areas of the sea not covered by a regional fishing agreement. Local fishing Industry representatives and environmentalists are particularly concerned about the squid population in this area of the ocean which is a major supplier of calamari.

The unregulated nature of the ‘Blue Hole’ has created a fishing free-for-all where fleets can trawl the ocean free from regulation and government control. This situation has worsened in recent months with the number of boats operating in the area increasing dramatically. There are concerns about diminishing fish stocks which threaten the livelihoods of people who traditionally fish in the ‘Blue Hole’ in the future along with environmental concerns about declining biodiversity.

The Falkland Islands licences fishing vessels to operate in the area and these licences account for a high proportion of income for the Islands government.  Additional fishing controls are offered by regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs). These are international bodies made up of countries with a stake in the fishing area and provide additional protection from overfishing.

The problem of overfishing in the ‘Blue Hole’ occurs because RFMOs are not applied effectively in this area of sea and many unlicensed fishing vessels from countries outside the region enter the ‘Blue Hole’ in an uncontrolled way by turning off their trackers, which makes it difficult for the authorities to monitor and control how long they fish for and how much fish they catch.

Some possible questions to discuss with a class

1. Is fishing in the ‘Blue Hole’ a common pool resource?

2. Is fishing a good that is non-excludable and rivalrous?

3. How do the authorities in the Falkland Islands try to control fishing in the ‘Blue Hole’?

4. To what extent is fishing in the ‘Blue Hole’ unsustainable?