Three ‘Generations’ of Compliance Studies in Fisheries– and Four Clusters of Enforcement Studies

The article provides an overview of three ‘generations’ of social science literature on compliance in fisheries: the ‘basic deterrence model’, which emphasises strict enforcement of regulations; the ‘enriched model’, which brings in legitimacy and morality as determinants of compliance; and the ‘multi-dimensional models’, which question the assumption that compliance can be explained by a stable set of individual motivations and that behaviour can be divided straightforwardly into compliance and non-compliance. Non-compliance is assumed to result from an interaction between a motivated actor and an opportunity to violate the rules. Economic motivations, personal morality and perceptions of legitimacy remain relevant, but their effects are mediated by the actor’s surroundings. The article then identifies four strands of literature on fisheries enforcement: the (bio-)economic literature, the legal and ‘blue crime’ literature, the literature on new technology in fisheries enforcement, and the literature on the organisation of enforcement agencies and enforcement styles, which builds on the ‘enriched’ and ‘multi-dimensional’ models of compliance. The latter resonates with the assumptions and findings of the three ‘generations’ of compliance studies: from deterrence via communication to nudges. Communication implies that compliance is negotiated, not simply imposed. Nudges seek to encourage voluntary compliance through positive reinforcement or indirect suggestion.