Alastair Couper – författare

Abuses and slavery at sea are largely missing from narratives of work and environmental exploitation in the mainstream. This book shines a light on the exploitation of fish and fishers alike in a global industry driven by profits. Conservation and human rights in this industry are huge problems: with vast overprovision of vessels and shortages of fish, labour costs are targeted and young men are trafficked from poor areas onto vessels in virtual slavery. The resultant poverty and debt bonding pushes many towards trafficking drugs and piracy - although the criminality linked to the industry extends far beyond the level of the individual, vessel or fleet.Using first hand testimony and shocking examples of these abuses, the book uncovers these crimes and injustices, with the authors arguing for regulations which if implemented could protect the rights of fishers across the board.

Written by a senior scholar and master mariner, ""Sailors and Traders"" is the first comprehensive account of the maritime peoples of the Pacific. It focuses on the sailors who led the exploration and settlement of the islands and New Zealand and their seagoing descendants, providing along the way new material and unique observations on traditional and commercial seagoing against the background of major periods in Pacific history. The book begins by detailing the traditions of sailors, a group whose way of life sets them apart. The period of prehistoric seafaring is discussed using archaeological data, interpretations from inter island exchanges, experimental voyaging, and recent DNA analysis. Sections on the arrival of foreign exploring ships centuries later concentrate on relations between visiting sailors and maritime communities. The successes and failures of Polynesian chiefs who entered into trading with European-type ships are recounted as neglected aspects of Pacific history. As foreign-owned commercial ships expanded in the region so did colonialism, which was accompanied by an increase in the number of sailors from metropolitan countries and a decrease in the employment of Pacific islanders on foreign ships. Eventually small-scale island entrepreneurs expanded inter-island shipping, and in 1978 the regional Pacific Forum Line was created by newly independent states. This was welcomed as a symbolic return to indigenous Pacific ocean linkages. The book's final sections detail the life of the modern Pacific seafarer.

First published in 1989. The Pacific Islands are amongst the poorest countries of the developing world. The special problems of their small size, immense distance from major centres and, for many, very poor agricultural possibilities make development extremely difficult. However, recent new advances in maritime technology in a wide range of different areas present substantial new opportunities. This book surveys the new developments — including extended maritime boundaries; giant clam farming; increased exploitation of ocean minerals and new fisheries techniques — and demonstrates the potential for far-reaching economic and social development.

First published in 1989. The Pacific Islands are amongst the poorest countries of the developing world. The special problems of their small size, immense distance from major centres and, for many, very poor agricultural possibilities make development extremely difficult. However, recent new advances in maritime technology in a wide range of different areas present substantial new opportunities. This book surveys the new developments — including extended maritime boundaries; giant clam farming; increased exploitation of ocean minerals and new fisheries techniques — and demonstrates the potential for far-reaching economic and social development.

This book, originally published in 1972, discusses the impact of technological change in sea transport on trade links, shipping routes and economic activities. A brief historical perspective illustrates the vital role of the sea transport in the ancient and medieval worlds and the influence of merchant shipping on British economic growth in the nineteenth century. The author then discusses modern trends in world ship-owning, ship-building and ship types against a back-ground of supply and demand. Of particular importance is the assessment of the role of shipping in relation to developing countries.