Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic director focused on measurable results and operational excellence in maritime education. Integrates IMO/STCW regulations and ISO 21001/9001 f
Masters · 1500 h · 11 modules
Master's in Fisheries and Natural Resources Legislation
Offers comprehensive training in the legal framework governing the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and their resources. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the program explores the intersection of environmental…
Duration1500 h
FormatOnline
Starts14 December
Places20 / 20
Prior knowledge
Prior Knowledge Assessment
These are the skills this programme builds. Tick the ones you already have and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is really for you.
Your profile
Tick what you already know to see your result.
Programme overview
What is the Master’s in Fisheries and Natural Resources Legislation?
The Master's in Fisheries and Natural Resources Legislation
Offers comprehensive training in the legal framework governing the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and their resources. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the program explores the intersection of environmental law, fisheries economics, and biodiversity conservation, preparing students to address regulatory challenges in a sector crucial to food security and sustainable development.
Differentiating Advantages
- In-depth Analysis: Detailed study of international, European, and national regulations governing fisheries and aquaculture.
- Practical Approach: Development of skills for interpreting and applying legislation in real-world cases.
- Leading Experts: Faculty specializing in environmental law, marine biology, and natural resource management.
- Networking: Opportunities to connect with professionals from the public and private sectors.
- Global Perspective: Understanding the challenges and opportunities of fisheries management worldwide.
Programme type
Master's Degree
Study mode
Online
Duration
1,500 hours
Modules
11
Programme highlights
- Comprehensive Analysis: Delve into the legal framework that regulates fishing and natural resource management at the global and local levels.
- Sustainable Development: Learn to implement strategies for the conservation of marine ecosystems and responsible fishing.
- Industry Experts: Receive training from leading professionals in fisheries law, marine biology, and environmental management.
- Case Studies: Apply your knowledge to real-world situations and develop skills for informed decision-making.
- Networking: Connect with other professionals and expand your network in the field of fisheries and natural resources.
- Boost your career and contribute to a sustainable future with our specialized Master's program.
Curriculum
Programme Structure
The programme is structured in 11 modules, listed below in order of study.
01
Legal foundations of fisheries and natural resource management
- Base concepts: Natural resource, public good, public domain, sustainability and caution.
- Applicable sources of law: Internal, European/International, Soft Law and Jurisprudence.
- Governance Principles: Transparency, Participation, Accountability and Ecosystem Approach.
- Legal regime of the sea: maritime spaces and powers (structural vision).
- Rights and obligations of the coastal state, the state of the pavilion and the state of the port.
- Fisheries resources such as heritage: access, allocation, equity and conflicts of use.
- Institutional framework: competent administrations, agencies, scientific committees and advisory bodies.
- Management instruments: plans, quotas, effort, bans, sizes, arts and technical measures.
- Responsibility and reparation: Environmental damage, restoration and compensation.
- Ethics, compliance and "culture of legality" in the fishing sector.
02
International Sea Law and Fisheries Agreements
- Key conventions and treaties: structure, hierarchy and applicability.
- EEZ, offshore, continental shelf and special zones: implications for fishing.
- Conservation and management on the high seas: challenges, coordination and compliance.
- Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (OROP/RFMO): Operation and decisions.
- Port State Measures: Control of landings, inspections and cooperation.
- IUU/IUU fishing: Definitions, typologies, lists and measures against illegality.
- Flags and control of the pavilion: due diligence and responsibilities.
- Bilateral and multilateral agreements: access, counterparties, clauses and verification.
- Dispute settlement: Mechanisms, arbitration and role of international courts.
- International cooperation: exchange of data, observers and technical assistance.
03
EU regulatory framework and fishing policy
- Structure of the European framework: regulations, directives, delegated acts and execution.
- Management by TAC/quotas: assignment, relative stability, exchanges and adjustments.
- Technical measures: arts, selectivity, discards, minimum sizes and spatial/temporary closures.
- Control and inspection: traceability, electronic journals, VMS/AIS and operator obligations.
- Obligation to landing and management of accessory catches (legal-operational approach).
- Access to water and licence regime: authorizations, conditions and sanctions.
- Structural policy: Fleet, capacity, aid, funds and eligibility conditions.
- Marketing: Market organisation, labelling, consumer information and chain of custody.
- Litigation and Compliance: Resources, precautionary measures and relevant precedents.
- Integration with the environment: Coherence with conservation objectives and biodiversity.
04
National and regional fishing legislation (applied approach)
- Distribution Competence: State, Communities/Regional Authorities and Local Entities.
- Types of fishing: Artisanal/industrial, recreational, seafood, aquaculture and its regimes.
- Licenses, permits and authorizations: requirements, validity, modifications and revocation.
- Brotherhoods, producer organisations and corporate/representative regime.
- Effort management: Censuses, capacity, sea days, power and operational limitations.
- Vedas, reserves and protected areas: legal basis, procedure and control.
- Landing, first sale and slices: obligations, documentation and traceability.
- Violations and sanctions: typification, proportionality, recidivism and confiscations.
- Sanctioning administrative procedure: guarantees, evidence, resources and prescription.
- Inspection at the sea/port: powers, minutes, provisional measures and chain of custody.
05
Conservation, biodiversity and management of marine habitats
- Ecosystem approach: objectives, indicators and biological limits.
- Marine protected areas, reserves and spatial measures: legal design and management.
- Protected species and sensitive habitats: obligations, prohibitions and exceptional authorizations.
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): Fisheries, ports, dredging and aquaculture projects.
- Strategic Environmental Assessment (EAE): Fisheries Plans, Coastal Management and MSP.
- By-products, discards and waste: environmental obligations and circular economy in the sector.
- Marine pollution and responsibility: Spills, lost arts, plastics and operator obligations.
- Climate change and adaptation: resilience, dynamic closures and risk-based management.
- Restoration and compensation: corrective measures, habitat banks and monitoring.
- Fisheries-Conservation Coordination: Conflicts of use and conciliation mechanisms.
06
Compliance, traceability and fight against illegal fishing (IUU)
- Traceability systems: from the sea to the consumer; critical points and documentation.
- Certificates of capture, transshipments and control of logistics chain.
- Technology control: VMS/AIS, ERS/electronic journals, e-observation (legal vision).
- Inspections and audits: planning, sampling, evidence and findings.
- Test and Evidence: Standards, Sample Custody, Documentary Forensics and Digital.
- Penalties: Administrative and, when applicable, criminal; proportionality and effectiveness.
- Corporate Compliance: Internal programmes, codes, training and reporting channels.
- Purchasing Due Diligence: Suppliers, Risk Flags, Blacklists, and Mitigation.
- Cross-border cooperation: exchange of information and coordinated procedures.
- Pilots: Design of a compliance plan and response to inspection/incident.
07
Contracting, concessions and financing in natural resources
- Contracts in the fishing chain: Supply, transport, processing and marketing.
- Concessions and authorizations: ports, aquaculture, occupation of public domain and easements.
- Critical Clauses: Quality, Traceability, Responsibility, Insurance, Force Majeure and Termination.
- Public purchases and aid: tenders, criteria, eligibility and control of subsidies.
- Insurance and risk management: coverage, claims, expert reports and documentation.
- Dispute resolution: Mediation, arbitration, jurisdiction and execution.
- Contractual compliance: audit, KPIs, penalties and incentives.
- ESG and sustainability: contractual obligations, reports and verification.
- Due diligence legal in projects: matrix of permits, risks and regulatory schedule.
- Financing Models: Project Finance (Conceptual), Guarantees and Regulatory Bankability.
08
Aquaculture, coastal resources and maritime space management
- Legal framework of aquaculture: Licenses, biosecurity and environmental requirements.
- Health and wellness: controls, notification, management and responsibility of the operator.
- Coastal use and conflicts: tourism, energy, conservation, navigation and fishing.
- Marine Spatial Planning (MSP): Zoning, Participation and Evaluation.
- Discharges, effluents and water quality: limits, monitoring and compliance.
- Exotic and invasive species: permits, controls and responsibilities.
- Certifications and standards: Legal requirements vs. Voluntary market standards.
- Circular economy in aquaculture: by-products, valorization and obligations.
- Frequent litigation: neighbors, concessions, sanctions, renovations and expiration.
- Applied case: complete implementation and operation file according to standard.
09
Social dimension, rights, participation and environmental justice
- Rights of coastal communities: access, livelihoods and local governance.
- Artisanal fishing and equity: allocation of quotas, licences and differentiated measures.
- Transparency and public participation: consultations, allegations and construction of legitimacy.
- Socio-environmental conflicts: negotiation, evidence, expert reports and agreements.
- Labour rights and conditions on board: normative-operational approach.
- Gender and inclusion in the sector: regulatory approaches and programmes.
- Environmental justice and reparation: criteria, precedents and mechanisms.
- Risk communication: incidents, closures, pollution and public trust.
- Multilevel Governance: Inter-administrative coordination and normative coherence.
- Design of public policies: theory of change, indicators and impact assessment.
10
Control, inspection and fishing sanctioning regime
- EU Fisheries Control Systems
- Satellite Vessel Location (VMS)
- electronic diary fishing
- Inspection at sea and in port
- landing control and first sale
- Regime of infractions and sanctions
- Point System for Serious Violations
- International cooperation in control
- Sanctioning administrative procedure
- Files Pilots Cases
11
Master’s Final Project in Fisheries and Natural Resources Legislation
- Case selection: Real regulatory problem (fishing, AMP, IUU, aquaculture, conflict of uses).
- Regulatory map: Applicable sources, hierarchy, competencies and verifiable obligations.
- Legal-technical diagnosis: compliance gaps, risks, actors and critical points.
- Regulatory Strategy: Proposal of justified (regulatory, administrative or management) measures.
- Instrument design: Management plan, licence conditions, inspection protocol or traceability system.
- Compliance Matrix: Controls, Evidence, Responsible, Deadlines, KPIs and Auditing.
- Impact evaluation: Legality, proportionality, economic viability and socio-environmental effects.
- Controversy management: resource route, legal defence, tests and communication strategy.
- Final dossier: Attachments, Document Models, Permit Checklist and Implementation Plan.
- Defence: Legal argumentation, trade-off analysis and continuous improvement roadmap.
Workload
Study Time and Workload
1500 hours of study, online and at your own pace. Move the slider to the hours a week you can really put in.
Hours a week8
Weeks to finish—
You finish around—
Who it is for
Lawyers specializing in environmental and maritime law who seek to deepen their knowledge of fisheries legislation and its impact on resource conservation.Marine biologists and ecologists interested in the sustainable management of fisheries resources and the application of legislation to protect ecosystems.Public administration officials (national, regional, or local) responsible for the regu
Faculty
Academic direction and faculty
The teaching team at Navalis: working professionals who deliver and oversee the institute's programmes.
Eng. Diego Cifuentes
Cap. Javier Abaroa (MCA)
Dr. Pau Ferrer
Dr. Nuria Llobregat
Eng. Javier Bañuls
Eng. Sofía Marquina
Eng. Tomás Riera
Verified reviews
Student Reviews
Reviews collected and verified by Opynio, not written by us.
Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
- 01Managing and protecting aquatic biodiversity
- 02Design and implement sustainable fisheries policies
- 03Apply current legislation for the effective management of fishery resources
- 04To mediate and resolve conflicts related to the use of natural resources
- 05Assess the environmental impact of fishing activities
- 06Drafting technical and legal reports on fishing regulations
Careers
Career Opportunities
01```html
02Legal Advisor in Public Administrations: Drafting of fisheries and natural resource regulations, legal defense in environmental litigation.
03Environmental Consultant in Companies: Environmental impact assessment of projects related to fishing and natural resources, design of environmental management plans.
04Technician in Fishing Organizations: Management of fisheries resources, implementation of conservation measures, participation in the development of fisheries policies.
05Researcher in Research Centers: Analysis of fisheries legislation and its impact on natural resources, development of proposals for regulatory improvement.
06Fisheries Inspector: Monitoring and enforcement of fisheries regulations, detection of infractions and penalties.
07Manager of Marine Protected Areas: Planning and management of natural resources in marine areas Protected areas: Development of conservation plans.
08Environmental Educator: Dissemination of fisheries and natural resource legislation, raising awareness about the importance of conservation.
09Environmental Auditor: Verification of compliance with environmental regulations in companies in the fishing sector, preparation of audit reports.
Questions
Entry Requirements
The legislation applied to fishing and the management of natural resources.
Yes. The itinerary includes ECDIS/Radar-ARPA/BRM with harbor, ocean, fog, storm, and SAR scenarios.
Online with live sessions; hybrid option for simulator/practical placements through agreements.
It covers both national and international legislation related to fishing and natural resources.
Recommended functional SMCP. We offer support materials for standard phraseology.
Yes, with a relevant degree or experience in maritime/port operations. The admissions interview will confirm suitability.
Optional (3–6 months) through Companies & Collaborations and the Alumni Network.
Simulator practice (rubrics), defeat plans, SOPs, checklists, micro-tests and applied TFM.
A degree from Navalis Magna Institute + operational portfolio (tracks, SOPs, reports and KPIs) useful for audits and employment.
Online admissions
Admissions Process
No waiting for a phone call. If your documents are complete, you can pay in the same session.
Entry requirements
```htmlAcademic/Professional Profile:Bachelor's/Undergraduate Degree in Law, Environmental Sciences, Marine Biology, Agricultural Engineering, or related field; or accredited professional experience in the fishing sector or natural resource management.Language Proficiency:Native Spanish speaker or equivalent proficiency (C1/C2). Technical English is recommended for accessing international literature and legislation.Documentation:Updated CV, copy of degree, academic transcript, ID/Passport, letter of motivation explaining your interest in fisheries and natural resources legi
Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Leave your details and admissions will write back. If you already know this is the one, go straight to the application and pay in the same session.