Chapter 9 analyzes the global management of fishery resources, deep-seabed resources and marine genetic resources. The ongoing enclosure of fishery resources has been largely exclusionary. Regional fisheries organizations that have been established to manage such resources are not always welcoming of new entrants, which remain discontented with the increasing appropriation of the high seas by coastal states. Deep-seabed resources and marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction have been declared the common heritage of humankind and, thus, cannot be subject to appropriation by any state. The International Seabed Authority is about to issue the first exploitation regulations for the extraction of metals and minerals from the deep seabed. This exploitation is, however, in conflict with the protection and utilization of marine genetic resources and is very likely to drastically alter and pollute the fragile environment of the deep seabed. While environmentalists have called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, small island states are keen on such mining. They expect that the metals and minerals extracted from the deep seabed, which are used for the green energy transition, will bring them windfalls.

Global fisheries have been described as being in a state of crisis, characterized by declining global catches, overfishing and collapse of important fish stocks. Following this, the policy debates have been centered around the concept of “sustainable fisheries.” Initially, this debate focused on how to ensure sustainable fisheries from an environmental perspective and how to overcome existing problems with overfishing, while at the same time, ensuring profitability, jobs, livelihood opportunities as well as responding to the increasing concerns over illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing practices. This chapter provides a systematic review of the emerging literature on labor-related problems in the fishing sector, and provides a detailed account of the main steps taken in recent years by one select private governance approach, the community of practice surrounding FIPs, to more effectively address the violence behind labor-related concerns.