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Marine and Coastal Conflicts

Theory of Marine And Coastal Conflict

Karen A. Alexander proposes a theory that evaluates how increased competition for marine and coastal goods and services is fueled by exacerbating factors that lead to conflict. Alexander divides the factors that influence conflict into two main categories - drivers of change and exacerbating factors. The Drivers of Change include an increasing global population; the need for security of supply; the economic imperative for growth; historical institutional failure in managing the ocean and coastal environment, and a changing social-ecological environment.

This all fuels competition for resources, which then is exacerbated by political and social factors that shape resource use. These factors include a perception that someone is taking and/or altering what is perceived to be ours; the perception of unfair treatment; threats to well-being; and continuing poor governance and management. When the combination of factors and drivers hits a boiling point, the parties involved often attempt to resolve the matter for themselves, which leads to direct conflict. While we cannot change the drivers of change, we must address these exacerbating factors to prevent conflict.

Seadrift

The components of this theory are illustrated in the coastal conflict in Seadrift, Texas in 1979. This small coastal town comprised a complex socio-ecological system. As the Vietnamese immigrant population dramatically increased, the white Texan residents viewed the incoming families with suspicion and fear. When the new residents began crabbing in Seadrift, TX the complexity of the situation intensified as competition for scarce resources increased. As was narrated in the film, there has always been competition “even amongst Americans and all there’s competition” but when that competition was linked to the newcomers, that competition was viewed with a new, hostile lens.  When the political and social factors of racism entered the mix, conflict ensued.

From the beginning, there was tension brewing between the Vietnamese and Texan fishermen. There was a perception by the Americans that the Vietnamese immigrants were being given free money and free resources from the government, which fueled feelings of unfair treatment from American fishermen who felt they had to work for what they had in life and reported being denied access to similar resources such as loans. This further intensified a sense from the Americans that the Vietnamese immigrants were taking what they perceived to be theirs when the Vietnamese began fishing. The Vietnam war further fueled the conflict and strong feelings from the Americans who felt anger and hatred toward the Vietnamese in their community. The situation was further complicated by cultural differences between the two groups, lack of ability to communicate verbally with one another, and unwritten rules which were perceived to be broken. This led to threats of violence between the two groups which further escalated when American fishermen would destroy property, including traps and boats belonging to the Vietnamese fishermen.

These threats to their well-being combined with a lacking government response further fueled the conflict. Local authorities did not intervene even when their assistance was requested, which caused both the American and Vietnamese fishermen to feel they needed to take matters into their own hands. The situation became deadly when a white Texan crabber was shot and killed in a dispute with Vietnamese immigrant fishermen over fishing territory.

The situation intensified dramatically when the KKK came into the small town promoting violence, threats of harm, and property destruction targeted toward the Vietnamese fishermen. Vietnamese homes and boats were burned and many Vietnamese families were forced to stop fishing the San Antonio Bay and relocate for their safety. The conflict was eventually resolved by civil rights laws when The Southern Poverty Law Center introduced a lawsuit asking the federal government to protect the Vietnamese fisherman from the KKK.

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