Create sustainable fisheries

OVER 50% OF THE OCEAN'S SURFACE IS IMPACTED BY INDUSTRIAL FISHING, WITH OVER 70% OF FISH SPECIES NOW FULLY EXPLOITED OR DEPLETED.

Sustainable fishing practices and catch limits can improve fisheries by allowing populations to recover in protected areas and no-take zones, leading to increased population densities in adjacent waters, increased average fish size, and fishery resilience.

map source: fishing activity – Global Fishing Activity, Global Fishing Watch. 2016. | David A. Kroodsma et al. Tracking the global footprint of fisheries. Science 359,904-908(2018) |

IF WE APPLY RESPONSIBLE FISHING PROGRAMS, WE CAN HAVE ENOUGH FISH TO FEED 1 BILLION PEOPLE A HEALTHY SEAFOOD MEAL EVERY DAY.

• Norway leads the world in sustainable fishery management, with succesful regulations on salmon, skrei, and halibut, among others.

• Since 2000, 23 U.S. ocean fish populations have been rebuilt to healthy levels.

• Marine protected areas have increased 250% since 2010, covering 8% of the ocean.

• In the EU, the number of fish stocks within safe biological limits is now at its highest level since the early 1980s.

• In New Zealand East Northland, Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty snapper stocks have increased by up to 70% over the last 15-25 years.

“Within a year or two of establishing a marine reserve, population densities increased 91%, average fish size went up 31%, and species diversity rose 20%.”

Sources: Brown, Plan B 3.0, p. 163. Andrew Sharpless, Oceana. w Oceaneos. Protected Planet. image source: Laszlo Ilyes from Cleveland, Ohio, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

INDUSTRIAL FISHING TECHNIQUES CAUSE

• BYCATCH | Unwanted marine creatures that are caught in the nets while fishing for another species. It forms about 40% of the total fishing catch.

• REEF DEGRADATION | Large areas of the seabed, the habitat where fish find food and shelter, are crushed and flattened while bottom trawling. Cyanide and dynamite fishing practices destroy ecosystems and kill ancient corals.

• DEPLETING FISH STOCKS | In the long-term, overfishing can have a devastating impact on ocean communities as it destabilizes the food chain and destroys the natural habitats of many aquatic species.

BY IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE FISHING PRACTICES AND ESTABLISHING MARINE PROTECTED AREAS, WE COULD RESTORE OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS AND INCREASE GLOBAL FISH CATCH AT THE SAME TIME.

The most productive parts of the ocean are under the jurisdiction of just 29 Countries & the EU, representing 90% of wild ocean fishing. They have the power to protect and restore our oceans. 5 countries lead the way with sustainable fisheries while the most destructive practices still account for 40% of global catch.

Sources: Andrew Sharpless, Oceana. “Countries Where Fisheries are Sustainable” Oceanos. Image: Flickr User World Fish, CC2.0.