Trawling in the Persian Gulf from the Perspective of International Law of the Sea
Keywords:
Trawling, Persian Gulf, International Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, UN Fish Stocks Agreement, FAO, RECOFI, ROPME, Marine Environmental ProtectionAbstract
This study examines trawling in the Persian Gulf from the perspective of international law of the sea, with particular emphasis on the legal duties of coastal states to conserve marine living resources, prevent destructive fishing practices, and harmonize domestic fisheries regulations with international and regional standards. Trawling, especially bottom trawling, is considered one of the most harmful fishing methods because it damages seabed habitats, threatens marine biodiversity, reduces fish stocks, and undermines the sustainable use of aquatic resources. Using a descriptive-analytical method and library-based data collection, the study reviews domestic laws of Persian Gulf littoral states, regional environmental and fisheries arrangements, and major international instruments, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement, FAO instruments, and United Nations General Assembly resolutions on destructive fishing practices. The findings indicate that although international law does not always expressly prohibit trawling as a single named method, the combined obligations of conservation, sustainable exploitation, precautionary management, prevention of marine environmental damage, and cooperation through competent regional organizations create a strong legal basis for restricting or prohibiting trawling where it endangers marine habitats and fish stocks. In the Persian Gulf, the ecological sensitivity of the region strengthens the duty of states to adopt stricter domestic measures, cooperate through RECOFI and ROPME, regulate fishing gear, monitor vessels, and enforce penalties against illegal or destructive fishing. The study concludes that Persian Gulf states must align national laws with international and regional commitments and treat destructive trawling not merely as a fisheries issue, but as a matter of marine environmental protection, sustainable development, and intergenerational equity.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Shima Arabasadi (Corresponding author); Siavash Sasanian (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
