Fisheries

We live on this planet called Earth but when we observe satellite images, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to call it Ocean? Indeed, oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface. The 3 major oceans of the world are the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean and they merge into one another, forming the largest habitat on Earth. The Arctic Ocean surrounds the North Pole while the Southern Ocean surrounds the continent of Antarctica (WWF, 2017).

Supporting a great variety of life, oceans are today under a great threat by many factors including overfishing, climate change, maritime traffic, pollution and the fact that global population statistics are constantly increasing.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the first-ever UN conference on oceans with a warning that the seas are “under threat as never before” with one recent study warning discarded plastic rubbish could outweigh fish by 2050 if nothing is done. The UN chief told presidents, ministers, diplomats and environmental activists from nearly 200 countries on Monday that oceans – “the lifeblood of our planet” – are being severely damaged by pollution, overfishing, and the effects of climate change as well as refuse (Aljazeera, 2017).

“We must put aside short-term national gain to prevent long-term global catastrophe,” Guterres said. “Conserving our oceans and using them sustainably is preserving life itself.” (Aljazeera, 2017).

• The topics listed below provide an insight into the issues relating to oceans and the possibilities for positive action to address issues surrounding oceans and enhance sustainability, and the choices to be made.
• Overfishing: how it is affecting our oceans?
• Ancient fishing methods and Bycatch levels in the past and ancient fishing methods
• Some statistics to get a clearer picture of what the current situation is
• Sustainability issues: is aquaculture really the way forward?
• Have fishing methods improved? Some ethical considerations.
• Oceans and the Sustainable Development Goals: is it possible to ensure effective conservation beyond paper?
• The future: technological innovations in the fishing industry
• How we consumers can drive the market and therefore drive change!

Worldwide, oceans are changing in an accelerated fashion mainly due to human activities. In a world with over 7 billion people and which is increasing by the second, we should be concerned about making sustainable choices to ensure that natural systems continue to thrive as well as ensuring food security for all.

In the past, levels of bycatch were extremely high. Bycatch is the incidental capture of non-target species such as dolphins, marine turtles and seabirds (WWF, 2017). Technological development in recent years has contributed to the decrease in bycatch levels. The End of the Line is a campaign for a “responsible attitude towards the oceans”. Initially a book written by Charles Clover in 2005 in which he states that seventy-five per cent of the world’s fish stocks are either fully exploited or over-fished, it became a documentary film in 2009 revealing the impact of global overfishing, examining the extinction of the Bluefin tuna, essentially triggered by the increasing Western demand for sushi; the vast impact on marine life resulting in a huge overpopulation

End of the Line is a campaign for a “responsible attitude towards the oceans”. Initially a book written by Charles Clover in 2005 in which he states that seventy-five per cent of the world’s fish stocks are either fully exploited or over-fished, it became a documentary film in 2009 revealing the impact of global overfishing, examining the extinction of the Bluefin tuna, essentially triggered by the increasing Western demand for sushi; the vast impact on marine life resulting in a huge overpopulation
of jellyfish, due to pollution; and the profound implications of a future world with virtually no fish in the oceans. Filmed over a period of two years across many nations, the documentary follows Charles Clover as he confronts politicians to attempt to change legislation and celebrity restaurateurs who show little regard for the damage to the oceans caused by their demand for certain fish. Following the book and the film, a world-wide campaign developed with a comprehensive website, the slogan of which is “Imagine a world without fish.” (Clover, 2004) (Image from Google images, 2017).

Currently, the state of the world’s marine fish stocks has not improved overall, despite notable progress in some areas. 31.4% of assessed fish stocks were estimated as fished at a biologically unsustainable level and therefore overfished. Fully fished stocks accounted for 58.1% and under-fished stocks 10.5% (FAO, 2016). We are witnessing a phenomenon called “fishing down the food web:” removing large predators such as Tuna and apex predators such as sharks, smaller species thrive and

dominate the marine ecosystem as they no longer have that “natural pressure” of being hunted. Wholescale community and ecosystem shifts can be observed. With less large species being fished, fishing efforts are focused on smaller pelagic species such as sardines and anchovies. This is a major issue to address as these species are in turn vital for apex predators like dolphins. (Image from Google images, 2017).

Aquaculture facilities are constantly increasing their efforts in order to ensure food security for all but this practice is not without environmental impacts. Farmed fish are usually carnivorous species such as sea bass and sea bream and therefore require fish feed in the form of pellets. However, 5 kilogrammes of wild fish are needed to produce just 1 kilogramme of farmed fish…sustainable for our wild stocks? (The End of the Line, 2013). Additionally, many pellets are lost in the process and fall onto the sea bed, causing a decrease in oxygen levels. Nonetheless, there is one positive aspect: in the Gulf of Corinth for example, bottlenose dolphins are treating these fish farms as “restaurants:” with less wild fish available, these intelligent creatures have adapted to feeding on the wild fish that are being attracted around the cages by the pellets.

Several fishing methods are destructive but it is important to note that progress has been made over the past decade, especially after the broadcast of The End of the Line. Longline, set nets and trawling are among the most destructive methods but several technological innovations have seen the light: the Turtle Excluder Device is now used in several trawlers. As shown in the image above, the turtle can escape out of the net and survive. (Right image taken from Google images, 2017).

Oceans and the Sustainable Development Goals: goal 14 “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.” As admirable as this is, it is crucial that conservation actions move beyond
paper. This starts with all of us: consumer choice drives the market and positive changes can come about using this powerful tool. Firstly, though, education is key. “Through interpretation, understanding; through understanding, appreciation; through appreciation, protection.” Freeman Tilden, 1957

Measures for mitigating the negative effects of incidental catches can be ascribed to four groups: (a) modification of the fishing gear used, including the reduction of mesh sizes of the fishing nets to reduce by-catch, changing J hooks to wide circle hooks, setting the hooks deeper than turtle abundant depths (40-100m) and the use of the Turtle Excluder Device (TED); (b) modification of fishing operations, such as shorter towing times in trawlers, using mackerel instead of squid as bait, and fishing at night rather than daytime; (c) Reduction of fishing in certain turtle nesting areas and seasons; and (d) education and increasing the awareness of fishermen. The first three measures require adequate legislation and monitoring in order to be effective. Several countries deploy observers on fishing fleets but total observer effort is however relatively low (Lewison et al., 2004). (Image from Google images, 2017).

There are widely less “popular” fish that are at very healthy rates and caught using sustainable methods such as mackerel (the “tuna’s cousin”), Dab and anchovies. Avoid cod, Atlantic salmon, plaice, lemon sole and tuna. The obstacles lie in finance: the previously named fish are targeted by large fisheries because they bring in much more benefit from the economical point of view and by large, the general public prefer eating these species.

Look out for this logo when you buy fish! When you see the blue MSC label, you can be sure it comes from a sustainable fishery that has met the Marine Stewardship Council Fisheries Standard. The Fisheries Standard measures the sustainability of wild-capture fisheries. Fisheries and seafood businesses voluntarily seek certification to the relevant MSC Standard. These standards meet international best practice guidelines for certification and ecolabelling and were developed through consultation with the fishing industry, scientists, conservationists, experts and stakeholders (Marine Stewardship Council, 2017).

Look out for this logo when you buy fish! When you see the blue MSC label, you can be sure it comes from a sustainable fishery that has met the Marine Stewardship Council Fisheries Standard. The Fisheries Standard measures the sustainability of wild-capture fisheries. Fisheries and seafood businesses voluntarily seek certification to the relevant MSC Standard. These standards meet international best practice guidelines for certification and ecolabelling and were developed through consultation with the fishing industry, scientists, conservationists, experts and stakeholders (Marine Stewardship Council, 2017).

Friend of the Sea follows the FAO Guidelines for the eco-labelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture fisheries. Certification is only allowed for products from not overexploited stocks. To date, it is the only scheme which can certify products both farmed and wild caught with the same seal of approval (Friend of the Sea, 2017).

Aquaculture Stewardship Council: their mission is to transform aquaculture towards environmental sustainability and social responsibility using efficient market mechanisms that create value across the chain (ASC, 2017).

After the success of The End of the Line, Charles Clover, the author of The End of the Line, created the Fish to Fork website (fish2fork.com), which assesses the sustainability of fish sold in restaurants across the UK, some European countries and the USA. Restaurants are rated according to their use of sustainable fish and information given on the progress of national and international legislation (Image from Google images, 2017).

See related information on fishing.