MAPPING THE INTERSECTIONS OF THE BLUE ECONOMY AND BLUE CRIME: A MULTI-METHOD BIBLIOMETRIC, THEMATIC AND FACTORIAL ANALYSIS

ALI UMAR AHMAD; JAGAN  JEEVAN; MARHAINI MOHD NOOR

doi:10.46754/jml.2025.12.005

Authors

ALI UMAR AHMAD School of Social and Management Sciences, Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, Hotoro GRA, Kano 700213, Nigeria.
JAGAN JEEVAN Faculty of Maritime Study, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.
MARHAINI MOHD NOOR Faculty of Maritime Study, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0107-5608

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46754/jml.2025.12.005

Keywords:

Maritime governance, ocean sustainability, IUU fishing, piracy, maritime security networks, bibliometric analysis, thematic mapping, ocean policy integration.

Abstract

The rise of the Blue Economy as a framework for sustainable ocean development is increasingly challenged by Blue Crime, including illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, piracy, trafficking and environmental offences that threaten ecological resilience and governance stability. This study presents the first multi-method mapping of scholarship at the Blue Economy-Blue Crime nexus, using integrated bibliometric, thematic and factorial analyses of Scopus and Web of Science publications from 2015 to 2024. Research output has surged since 2019, reflecting global attention to SDG 14 and maritime security concerns. Two primary thematic clusters emerge: Governance- and sustainability-focused research on ocean policy integration and security-oriented studies on crime typologies, enforcement gaps and regional vulnerabilities, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea and Western Indian Ocean. Factorial and conceptual analyses reveal a persistent divide between security-driven and sustainability-driven scholarship, underscoring field fragmentation. Despite emerging collaborations, knowledge production remains regionally concentrated. This synthesis offers an evidence-based roadmap for advancing interdisciplinary research and informing policy to secure and sustain the Blue Economy.

References

Amao, O., Adesanya, O. P., & Ola, A. A. (2024). Maritime piracy and the sustainable development of Nigeria’s blue economy. Insight on Africa, 09750878251352096.

Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). Bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959-975. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007

Bueger, C., & Mallin, F. (2023). Blue paradigms: Understanding the intellectual revolution in global ocean politics. International Affairs, 99(4), 1719-1739. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad124

Castillo, L. S., Irlanda, C. E. F., Aceves-Bueno, E., Froelich, H., Mancilla, C., Rivera, A., & Gaines, S. D. (2025). Aquaculture isn’t always the answer: Rethinking blue transitions through justice and community experience. Global Environmental Change, 94, 103046. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103046

Chen, I. X., De Coning, C., Chowdhury, S., & Zhang, X. J. (2024). M&E and emerging indicators to assess the impact of the illegal fishing trade on the blue economy. In Routledge handbook of natural resource governance in Africa (pp. 275-289). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003017479-23

Desai, R. M., & Shambaugh, G. E. (2021). Measuring the global impact of destructive and illegal fishing on maritime piracy: A spatial analysis. PLOS One, 16(2), e0246835. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246835

Feng, L., He, P., Zheng, C., & Chen, P. (2020). The status quo of the criminal accountability for marine illegal fishing in China: From the perspective of judgment analysis. Laws, 9(4), 21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/laws9040021

Greenacre, M. (2017). Correspondence analysis in practice (3rd ed.). Chapman and Hall/CRC. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315369983

Khan, S., Katoch, R., & Mahendru, D. (2025). Blockchain and FinTech synergies: Driving sustainability in the blue economy. In FinTech for sustainable finance and a Well-Blue Economy (pp. 171-195). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-92390-6_9

Lindley, J. (2021). Food security amidst crime: Harm of illegal fishing and fish fraud on sustainable oceans. In The Palgrave handbook of climate resilient societies (pp. 1-19). Cham: Springer International Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32811-5_127-1

Martín-Martín, A., Orduna-Malea, E., Thelwall, M., & López-Cózar, E. D. (2018). Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus: A systematic comparison of citations in 252 subject categories. Journal of Informetrics, 12(4), 1160-1177. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2018.09.002

McCabe, R. (2023). Environmental drivers of maritime insecurity: Governance, enforcement and resilience in the Western Indian Ocean. Conflict, Security & Development, 23(3), 237-265. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14678802.2023.2256251

Miller, D. D., Sumaila, U. R., Copeland, D., Zeller, D., Soyer, B., Nikaki, T., Leloudas, G., Fjellberg, S. T., Singleton, R., & Pauly, . (2016). Cutting a lifeline to maritime crime: Marine insurance and IUU fishing. Frontiers in Ecology and The Environment, 14(7), 357-362. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1293

Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. BMJ, 339. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b2535

Mongeon, P., & Paul-Hus, A. (2016). The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: A comparative analysis. Scientometrics, 106(1), 213-228. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1765-5

Okafor-Yarwood, I. (2020). The cyclical nature of maritime security threats: Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing as a threat to human and national security in the Gulf of Guinea. African Security, 13(2), 116-146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19392206.2020.1724432

Perkiss, S., McIlgorm, A., Nichols, R., Lewis, A. R., Lal, K. K., & Voyer, M. (2022). Can critical accounting perspectives contribute to the development of ocean accounting and ocean governance? Marine Policy, 136, 104901. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104901

Phayal, A., Gold, A., Maharani, C., Palomares, M. L. D., Pauly, D., Prins, B., & Riyadi, S. (2024). All maritime crimes are local: Understanding the causal link between illegal fishing and maritime piracy. Political Geography, 109, 103069. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2024.103069

Roberson, L., Hosch, G., Wilcox, C., Domiguez‐Martinez, R. M., Sant, G., & Klein, C. (2025). A new seafood import policy for nations to combat illegal fishing. Conservation Letters, 18(1), e13091. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13091

Uchenna, E. M., Onyemechi, C., Emeaghara, G. C., Nze, I. C., & Ndikom, O. (2025). Maritime security and blue economy development in Nigeria: A structural equation model. Maritime Technology and Research, 7(2), 272954-272954. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2025.272954

Warikandwa, T. V. (2023). Fighting fisheries crimes in the fisheries industry: Practical training reflections of the efficacy of Namibia’s fisheries law enforcement. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(2), 2286043. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2286043

Witbooi, E., Ali, K. D., Santosa, M. A., Hurley, G., Husein, Y., Maharaj, S., Okafor-Yarwood, I., Quiroz, I. A., & Salas, O. (2020). Organized crime in the fisheries sector threatens a sustainable ocean economy. Nature, 588(7836), 48-56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2913-5

Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429-472. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629