John A.H. Benzie

This illuminating book incisively surveys the complex legal regime of access and benefit-sharing in key aquaculture countries. With an international focus spanning countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, the authors explore the application of international legal standards and how these translate into domestic measures. Presenting key critical perspectives, the book examines the ways in which access and benefit-sharing laws facilitate access to aquaculture resources and how they could, in return, deliver a fair and equitable share of the benefits, promoting conservation and longer term food security. The authors’ in-depth analysis of various case studies reveals that these legal standards rarely accommodate the distinctive features of aquatic genetic resources, digital sequence information and traditional knowledge. They argue that the access and benefit-sharing concept is not fit for purpose and suggest how the concept could be re-imagined to achieve more efficient outcomes for conservation, sustainability, fairness and equity. Access and Benefit-sharing in Global Aquaculture is a fundamental resource for academics, researchers and students of environmental law and governance, environmental politics and policy, management, and regulation. Policymakers working with the aquaculture industry will similarly benefit from the authors’ practical recommendations.