Namhee Kwon, Ph.D.

Beyond bilateralism: Rethinking fisheries management in East Asia

In the seas of Northeast Asia, decades of overharvesting; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and persistent uncertainty over maritime boundaries have undermined fisheries sustainability. Marine resource management is largely carried out through bilateral agreements among South Korea, Japan, and China. These arrangements face significant institutional and political challenges—including uneven data sharing, limited enforcement tools, and a reliance on political compromise—rather than scientific evidence when setting quotas, all of which impedes effective fisheries management.

Namhee Kwon will analyze the effectiveness and limitations of existing agreements in managing shared fish stocks, with the goal of identifying institutional and legal reforms that are both politically viable and ecologically sustainable. Focusing on agreements among South Korea, Japan, and China, Kwon will examine the legal architecture of each agreement, obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and implementation of these agreements within each country’s domestic system. She will also assess the joint fisheries management bodies established under these frameworks, comparing governance practices and assessing their effectiveness. Collaborating with researchers in China, Japan, and South Korea, Kwon will conduct interviews with key stakeholders to identify informal data-sharing arrangements, perceptions of current agreements, and enforcement gaps. Her findings will inform policy recommendations for governance models that can overcome the limitations of bilateralism and promote more adaptive, transparent, and ecologically responsive marine resource management.

To learn more about Dr. Kwon, read her bio.

See the full list of 2026 Pew marine fellows.