Abstract
The world’s oceans face total ecological collapse by 2048 if the fishing industries’ extraction is not reined in. At the helm of the ocean crisis have been fisheries management regimes built upon the logic of the tragedy of the commons, which interpret resource depletion as being driven by human self-interest, and then propose market-based policy solutions. This comparative case study tests the generalizability of the tragedy of the commodity, a political economic theory of fishery collapse that challenges the tragedy of the commons by applying it to the case of the 1992 Newfoundland cod fishery collapse. A model for incorporating a distinct analysis of state structures, actions, and interests is then proposed.
Acknowledgements
This research was done as part of my honours thesis at the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I would like to express my gratitude to my honours supervisor, Dr. William K. Carroll, who provided invaluable feedback throughout the process of doing this research.
Disclosure statement
The author reports that there are no competing interests to declare.
Notes
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Additional information
Notes on contributors
Felix Morrow
Felix Morrow is a Master’s student in the Department of Sociology at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, and is also a researcher at the marine conservation group OceansAsia.