Overview
This project aims to identify multiple drivers of illegal and legal Indonesian fishing in the Australian Fishing Zone, and potential opportunities for addressing gendered livelihood improvements of selected fishing communities in Nusa Tenggara Timor, Indonesia.
It also aims to produce evidence for viable community development and policy alternatives to the enforcement of Australia's borders, and it is anticipated this will be used to support livelihood improvements for fishing communities and reduce numbers of illegal fishing incursions. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has observed a large influx of Indonesian vessels fishing illegally in Australian waters since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Deterrence attempts to provide alternative livelihoods to fishers active in the Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) have had limited effect due to their lack of understanding of livelihoods and multiple drivers informing decisions.
The project will engage an Australian and Indonesian multidisciplinary social science research team to build capacity and knowledge to:
- situate illegal and legal fishing activities within a place-based assessment of livelihood trajectories
- identify the changing conditions that have led to the recent increase in illegal activity in Australian waters as a viable livelihood pathway in response to numerous drivers, and
- present an analysis of the research and evaluate opportunities for addressing behavioural drivers in the context of future livelihood interventions.