Research and Publications

Dr. Phelps Bondaroff conducts a wide range of research both as an independent academic scholar, through his strategy and research consultancy, The Idea Tree, as well as in his roles as Director of Research for OceansAsia, and Research Coordinator for the BC Humanist Association.

Teale Phelps Bondaroff speaking at Fish Crime Symposium

As a consultant, Dr. Phelps Bondaroff has examined such topics as:

Marine debris, derelict fishing gear, and oceanic plastics.
Human trafficking, slavery and labour violations in the fishing industry.
Shark finning and shark conservation strategies.
Sea grass and carbon sequestration.
Greenland halibut. whale, and krill conservation.
The impact of protected bike infrastructure and local businesses.
Urban noise pollution.

A world expert in illegal fishing, Dr. Phelps Bondaroff's work has played a central role in efforts to re-framing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as a form of organized crime, an important step to encourage states to invest adequate resources in combating this crime.

You can learn more about his current research projects on the Campaigns and Projects page.

The principle focus of Dr. Phelps Bondaroff's academic research is the strategic use of international law by non-state actors. This focus has led him to study the strategies of organizations such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Women on Waves, the Seasteading movement, the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea, and similar groups.

He also studies:

Illegal fishing, slavery at sea, and the international politics of marine conservation.
Canadian and BC politics.
Arctic and Antarctic politics and conservation issues.
Separation of religion and government in Canada and BC.

Publications

Peer Reviewed Publications

Bushfield, Ian, and Phelps Bondaroff, Teale. (2020). “Arbiters of Faith: Legislative Assembly of BC Entanglement with Religious Dogma Resulting from Legislative Prayer.” Secularism and Nonreligion, 9, 1-16.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale. (2020). “A Typology of Direct Action at Sea.” In Non-Human Nature in World Politics: Theory and Practice, Eds. Joanna Castro Pereira and André Saramago. Switzerland: Springer Nature, 279-310.
Burke, Danita Catherine, and Teale Phelps Bondaroff. (2018, September). “Becoming an Arctic Council NGO Observer.” Polar Record, 54:5-6, 1-11.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, and Danita Catherine Burke. (2014, May). “Bridging Troubled Waters: History as Political Opportunity Structure.” Journal of Civil Society, 10:2, 165-183.

Eilstrup-Sangiovanni, Mette, and Teale Phelps Bondaroff. (2014, July). “From Advocacy to Confrontation: Direct Enforcement by Environmental NGOs.” International Studies Quarterly, 58:2, 348-361.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale. (2008, Summer). “Throwing a Wrench Into Things: The Strategy of Radical Environmentalism.” Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, 10:4, 1-23.

Non-Peer Reviewed Publications

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, Thom, Adriana, Prasad, Ranil, & Bushfield, Ian. (Forthcoming). “In the public benefit? Tax exemptions for places of worship in BC.” BC Humanist Association, 1-14.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, & Cooke, Sam. (2020, December). “Masks on the beach: The impact of COVID-19 on marine plastic pollution.” OceansAsia, 1-80.
Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, Laurence, Noah, Prasad, Ranil, Thom, Adriana, Darveau-Morin, Alexandre, and Bushfield, Ian. (2020, September). “Duty of neutrality beyond Saguenay: Prayers at municipal councils in British Columbia.” BC Humanist Association, 1-36.
Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, Prasad, Ranil, Laurence, Noah, Darveau-Morin, Alexandre, Bushfield, Ian, and Thom, Adriana. (2020, August). "Legislative Prayer Across Canada." BC Humanist Association, 1-8.
Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, Bushfield, Ian, Marshall, Katie E., Prasad, Ranil, and Laurence, Noah. (Forthcoming). “Thoughts on Prayers: An Analysis of Prayers in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, 2003-2019.” Canadian Parliamentary Review.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale. (2020,May). “Report and Recommendations: The Urgent Need for Conservation Measures to Protect the Hong Kong Finless Porpoise.” Ed. Gary Stokes, OceansAsia, 1-9.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, Bushfield, Ian, Marshall, Katie E., Prasad, Ranil, and Laurence, Noah. (2020, May). "Decolonizing Legislative Prayers: A House of Prayers Supplementary Report." BC Humanist Association, 1-26.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale. (2019, December). "Universal Access to No-cost Prescription Contraception in BC - Information Sheet." Version 3. AccessBC Campaign for Free Prescription Contraception, 1-4.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, Bushfield, Ian, Marshall, Katie E., Prasad, Ranil, and Laurence, Noah. (2019, September). "House of Prayers: An Analysis of Prayers in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, 2003-2019." BC Humanist Association,1-138.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, and van der Werf, Wietse. (2019, August). “The CO2 and Fuel Efficiency of the Sea Ranger Service Sailing Work Vessels Explained.” Sea Ranger Service.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale. (2018, February). “Abandoned, Lost, or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear in Canada’s Greenland Halibut Fishery.” Ed. Stephanie Ferguson. The Idea Tree Consulting, on behalf of World Animal Protection. Unpublished research report, 1-77.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale. (2017, December). “Pandora Bike Lanes: Qualitative Study of Perceptions of, and Impacts on Local Businesses in Lower Pandora.” The Idea Tree Consulting, on behalf of the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition (GVCC). Unpublished research report, 1-9.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, and Stephanie Ferguson. (2017, January). “Seagrass and Carbon Sequestration in the North Sea: A Role for the Sea Ranger Service.” The Idea Tree Consulting, on behalf of the Sea Ranger Service, Rotterdam, Netherlands. Unpublished research report, 1-43.

Ferguson, Stephanie, Teale Phelps Bondaroff. (2015, October). "Ghosts of the North: Lost and Derelict Fishing Gear in Canadian Waters." The Idea Tree Consulting, on behalf of World Animal Protection. Unpublished research report, 1-102.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, Tuesday Reitano and Wietse van der Werf. (2015, April). “The Illegal Fishing and Organized Crime Nexus: Illegal Fishing as Transnational Organized Crime.” The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and The Black Fish, 1-84.

Ferguson, Stephanie, and Teale Phelps Bondaroff. (2012, October). "Transition Cambridge: Vision for 2030." Transition Cambridge, 1-23.

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale. (2011, Spring). “Sailing with the Sea Shepherds.” Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, 13:3, 1-55.

Book Reviews

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale. (2011, March). “Review: Jun Morikawa, Whaling in Japan: Power, Politics and Diplomacy, London, Hurst, 2009, ISBN13 9781850659846 (pbk), ISBN13 9781850659839 (hbk), 170 pp.” Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 24:1 (March 2011), 131-133.