Drivers for compliance with fisheries rules. A systematic literature review

Many diverse conflicts are commonly found in a complex and dynamic system such as a fishery. Usual sources of conflicts are property rights conflicts, space utilization conflicts (e.g. fishers versus aquaculture), enforcement conflicts and conflicts that occur between the fishers and the government. The latter two may lead to issues with fisher’s compliance with state laws. This thesis examines scientific literature on compliance with fisheries rules, as investigated by researchers affiliated with institutions located in the European Union / European Economic Area (EU/EEA). The main objectives of this thesis are: to explore research trends in EU/EEA when it comes to drivers for fishers’ compliance with rules; and to identify the main drivers for compliance with fisheries rules as studied by the EU/EEA researchers. The central methodology used in this study is a Systematic Literature Review. Search terms identified 22 scientific articles relevant for answering these research questions. After a thorough analysis of these articles, several trends in the EU/EEA research on fishers’ compliance with rules have been identified (e.g. time trends, geographical trends, fisheries related trends). The results of this study are expected to provide researchers and fishery managers with more information about fishers’ behavior. This is of relevance in, for instance, the formulation of new fisheries rules and in the improvement of governance processes in general. In addition, if a similar study would be performed on articles authored by researchers affiliated with institutions in a different region (e.g. North America, Asia), this study would provide a basis for comparison of different research approaches and traditions.