Law and Governance Toolkit for Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries: Best Regulatory Practices
Author
Environmental Law Institute
Date Released
December 2020
Law and Governance Toolkit for Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries: Best Regulator

Over the last couple of decades, ocean stewardship efforts have turned to focus on several key approaches, such as the implementation of sustainable fisheries practices, including small-scale fisheries (SSF) co-management. This Toolkit presents a methodology for assessing the reform needs to strengthen SSF governance, along with examples of model regulatory language for the core governance elements.

Building Bridges: Connecting the Overlapping Goals, Resources, and Institutions of Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Conservation
Author
David Roche, Jay Austin, Teresa Chan, and Jordan Diamond
Date Released
April 2014
Building Bridges: Connecting the Overlapping Goals, Resources, and Institutions

On April 20, 2010, an explosion rocked the Deepwater Horizon mobile offshore drilling unit. Eleven crewmen lost their lives in the blast, and the rig burned for the next thirty-six hours. Then, forty-one miles off the southeast coast of Louisiana, the Deepwater Horizon sank. Back at the wellhead, a quarter-mile away and 5,000 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, the environmental disaster was just beginning.

New Guide Offers Best Practices For Drafting Marine Spatial Planning Legislation
May 2020

(Washington, D.C.)— Countries are increasingly turning to marine spatial planning to assess and organize present and future uses of their ocean environments. While resources on how to create a marine spatial plan are plentiful, little attention has been paid to how countries can give their marine spatial plans the force of law.

Designing Marine Spatial Planning Legislation for Implementation: A Guide for Legal Drafters
Author
Environmental Law Institute & Animals | Environment PLLC (for the Blue Prosperity Coalition)
Date Released
May 2020
Designing Marine Spatial Planning Legislation for Implementation: A Guide for Le

Ocean and coastal states around the world are increasingly seeking to better utilize and benefit from their ocean environments, which can be vast in comparison to their land areas. Conflicting human uses, a changing climate, and a desire to ensure long-term sustainability compound the challenge to grow a robust “blue economy.” Consequently, countries are turning to marine spatial planning as a comprehensive management tool to assess and organize present uses of their ocean environments and map for future uses.

Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Legal Reports: Summary and Regional Comparison
Author
Greta Swanson and Xiao Recio-Blanco
Date Released
July 2019

This document was prepared by the Environmental Law Institute in partnership with Rare. The legal reports for Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico – the four countries of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (MAR) – cover aspects of fisheries and marine management laws that set out the framework for protecting the sustainability of small-scale fisheries, marine ecosystems, and the livelihoods of the fisherfolk who depend upon them.

Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Legal Reports: Honduras
Author
Greta Swanson and Xiao Recio-Blanco
Date Released
July 2019

This document was prepared by the Environmental Law Institute in partnership with Rare. The report provides information regarding the structure and function of the Honduras government and the institutional and legal framework for the governance of small-scale fisheries and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Specifically, this report summarizes main actors and the legal framework for artisanal/small-scale fisheries and for management of fish resources in protected areas.

Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Legal Reports: Guatemala
Author
Alejandra Rabasa and Xiao Recio-Blanco
Date Released
July 2019

This document was prepared by the Environmental Law Institute in partnership with Rare. The report provides information regarding the structure and function of the Guatemalan government, and the institutional legal framework of the governance of small-scale fisheries and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Specifically, this report summarizes main actors and the legal framework for artisanal/small-scale fisheries, and for management of fisheries resources and marine protected areas.

Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Legal Reports: Belize
Author
Greta Swanson and Xiao Recio-Blanco
Date Released
July 2019

This document was prepared by the Environmental Law Institute in partnership with Rare. The report describes the legal framework for regulation of small-scale fisheries and Marine Protected Area (MPA) management in and adjacent to the coastal waters of Belize. The report also describes the structure and function of the government of Belize. 

Subscribe to Ocean Program