Abstract
The industrialization of the world’s capture fisheries, also known as the blue revolution, took place in two phases. The first phase of fisheries development took place in Europe and North America in the first half of the 20th century. Post-colonial governments in Asia, Africa and Latin America instigated the second phase after WWII. This chapter investigates the parameters of the industrialization process taking place in fisheries, by making use of historical chronicles on the fisheries of California and Southeast Asia. It pays specific attention to the technology which underlies industrialization, and to the distant water fleets that represent its summit. I argue that although the blue revolution has evolved from myriad centers and was only partially blueprinted, the process as it has unfolded over the globe has many similar features and impacts. Industrialization of capture fisheries has resulted in both the generation of significant wealth and improved food security. Its shadow side, however, is unprecedented ecological destruction. The urgent challenge is now to devise governance regimes which contain further damage and contribute toward ecological restoration.
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Acknowledgement
I am grateful to Stan Brunn for his suggestions to improve this chapter. Eva-Maria van Straaten helped to trace relevant material.
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Bavinck, M. (2011). The Megaengineering of Ocean Fisheries: A Century of Expansion and Rapidly Closing Frontiers. In: Brunn, S. (eds) Engineering Earth. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9920-4_16
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