Can, and how will coastal states’ domestic laws and policies catch up with the principles of modern international fisheries law before the settling in of irreversible environmental, economic, and social degradation of the national fisheries industry? Should this be achieved within each state, and can meaningful regional cooperation on the conservation and management of transboundary fisheries then also be realized to ensure sustainable use? Dr Arif's critical reflection on three prominent and contemporary principles of fisheries management (conditional maximum sustainable yield (Chapter 2); the precautionary principle (Chapter 3); and ecosystem-based fisheries management (Chapter 4), including their incomplete reflection in Bangladesh's laws, policies, and institutions (Chapters 5–6), is a fine piece of stimulating scholarship which juxtaposes the idealism of general principles with the realism of full and effective domestic implementation or lack thereof. The strength of the early chapters is evident in previous versions being published in respected journals, while the latter, Chapters 5–8, are novel to this book, further building on their foundations. A commendable “way forward” (pp. 175–7) is charted, although other readers sharing a dose of British pessimism may wonder how the scale of proposals can be brought to fruition and sustained.
This book represents the fruits of Dr Arif's PhD research, conducted at Macquarie University and polished during positions at Queensland University of Technology and Yokohama City University (p. xxi). It provides an applied research approach to contemporary international fisheries law, including its legislative, policy, and institutional implementation in Bangladesh. Concerning application, the research expertise therein is informative to those interested in Bangladesh's marine fisheries management framework or the region's efforts and challenges in the conservation and management of transboundary fish stocks. More broadly, the book's approach offers recommendations of interest to other states in comparative situations (Chapter 8), or other researchers looking for a guiding framework to conduct further research on the implementation of international fisheries law in other under-researched states.
There is convincing use of Bangladeshi laws and policies in building the state-based arguments. Indeed, the author's voice is notably stronger in the analysis, critiques, and recommendations concerning Bangladeshi ocean law and policy. I would exhort the author to equally take this approach forward in his work addressing international fisheries law, where excellent referencing and reflection upon both sides of various debates is found, but the author's final position is more elusive or reserved. Of minor reflection, greater use of neighbouring laws and policies could strengthen the regional-based arguments or offer comparative analysis to assist Bangladesh in setting legislative priorities, especially given the critical reflections on neighbouring states’ practices and the proposal that Bangladesh be a regional leader (Chapter 7). To conclude, this provides a continuing space to watch, with the author and his colleagues having launched the Bangladesh Centre for Ocean Law and Policy (BCOLP) in May 2022.Footnote 1
Competing interests
None.
