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Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice

No. 275: Understanding non-compliance in the marine environment

Russell G Smith and Katherine Anderson
ISBN 0 642 53838 7 ; ISSN 0817-8542
May 2004

Abstract

This paper explores the type of criminal activity that occurs in marine environments, with a focus on the Great Barrier Reef, possible causes of that crime, and appropriate regulatory responses to it. Illicit activities occurring in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) include illegal fishing, unauthorised hunting of protected species, causing damage to coral reefs, polluting, people smuggling, drug trafficking, and the commission of personal crimes (including violence). Factors that may motivate people to commit crime in the GBRMP include the large financial rewards which may be made from illegal fishing, as well as failure to accept the legitimacy of regulations or lack of knowledge of these, while various factors in the marine environment, including the size of the area to be policed, make law enforcement difficult to achieve. Regulatory responses for dealing with illegal activities in marine environments include prosecution, compliance based regulation, and crime prevention activities based on situational crime prevention techniques. The paper concludes by making suggestions for future initiatives to promote compliance with the law in marine environments like the GBRMP.

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