1.1. Rational choice theory, situational crime prevention and illegal fishingRational choice theory and situational crime prevention both fall within the realm of environmental criminology, criminological theories that focus on explaining criminal events and the immediate environment within which these events occur (Wortley and Mazerolle, 2008). Unlike traditional criminological theories that focus on explaining why an offender commits a crime, environmental criminologists search for crime patterns and explain these in terms of opportunity structures and influences within the built environment that shape these patterns. Using these environmental clues allows criminologists to not only devise prevention mechanisms to address a current crime problem, but also predict emerging crimes, as well as devise strategies that can be employed to prevent them (Wortley and Mazerolle, 2008). These theories are highly relevant to studying illegal fishing, a crime that is heavily influenced by opportunity structures. Rational choice theory portrays offenders as active decisionmakers who use environmental clues to make decisions about committinga crime (Cornish and Clarke, 1986). As such, the theory focuses on the decision-making process of the offender (Felson and Clarke, 1998). Whether one chooses to engage in crime depends on the characteristicsof the individuals (i.e. ‘‘motivatedoffenders’’ are more likely to have low self-control), however, it is the opportunities presented to them during the normal patterns of social and economic life that affect their decision-making. The theory asserts that the offender engages in a calculated conduct that seeks to maximize reward and minimize cost. The decision to engage in criminal behavior is, therefore, based on whether the perceived benefits of committing the crime will outweigh the perceived costs, with the former likely leading to the decision to engage in crime. The theory, however, cautions that the offender’s decisions are not always rational. Clarke and Cornish (2001) introduced theconcept of ‘limited rationality’ in part to address the criticisms brought forth against the theory, as well as to explain the constraints facing the offender during the decision-making process: an offender does not consider all the possible costs and benefits when deciding to engage in crime. That is ‘‘in seeking to benefit themselves, offenders do not always succeed in making the best decision because of the risk and uncertainty involved’’ (Clarke and Cornish, 2001: 24). Any given crime involves a range of costs and benefits, therefore, an offender’s calculation is limited to his moods, feelings, immediate motives and intentions, as well as the amount of time available to him to engage in a criminal behavior