Fishing under the Radar: Illuminating the Compliance Gap of Fishing Bans

Abstract

This paper measures the extent of illegal and unreported fishing during the annual Chinese fishing ban and estimates compliance with the ban. We compare compliance estimates using official vessel broadcast positions with a new and more robust measure of fishing activity based on nighttime lights. While the former suggests an average reduction of fishing activity by 90 percent during the ban, we only find a reduction of around half that size when relying on nighttime lights, thereby demonstrating a considerable compliance estimation gap. Further results suggest that attractive income opportunities during the ban hamper compliance.