Securitisation, Sovereignty, and Regional Cooperation: ASEAN Insights for IORA on Addressing IUU Fishing as a Transnational Environmental Crime

Abstract

This article examines the interplay between securitisation, policy networks, sovereignty, and the spatialisation of power in addressing Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing as a transnational environmental crime (TEC). It explores how large and smaller states combat IUU fishing while asserting sovereignty amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea (SCS) and the Indian Ocean. TEC, valued at US$1 trillion annually, undermines state sovereignty by disrupting economies and border controls. ASEAN, promoting regional cooperation since 1967, offers governance insights for the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). Hosting the world’s busiest sea lanes, ASEAN and IORA face severe maritime security challenges. Territorial disputes in the SCS and shifting Indo-Pacific power dynamics further complicate ocean governance. This article assesses ASEAN’s relevance for IORA, the securitisation of IUU fishing, its implications for sovereignty and power spatialisation, and how governance frameworks contrast with major powers’ maritime territorialisation strategies.