Mere anarchy? Canada's ''turbot war'' as the moral regulation of nature

In this paper, Canada's actions in its March 1995 ''turbot war'' with Spain are examined in the context of sociological theories dealing with moral regulation, governmentality, and ecological modernization in postmodern society. I argue that Canada's actions constitute a process which I term ''the moral regulation of nature.'' I argue, further, that Canada's success in defending its actions in moral rather than legal terms calls into question theories of ''risk society'' which predict growing sub-political activity over environmental issues undermining the legitimacy of the state. I contend that Canada's moral justification of its actions demonstrates the ability of the state to adapt to the growing environmental consciousness of citizens. I conclude that Canada's actions also may be seen as an indication that the separation of nature from society which began in the Enlightenment may be coming to an end.