A new study has shown that fishery management, when done well, works, and is the solution for keeping fisheries sustainable.
By looking at data from about 30 countries around the world, a group of researchers have concluded that intense fisheries management has led to healthy or improving fish populations, while a dearth of management has led to overfishing. The researchers published their results in a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 13 January.
Only about half the world’s fish populations are monitored scientifically. These monitored and managed populations are generally healthy and growing, while fish populations in regions with weaker fishery management and little monitoring are harvested at rates that are three times higher. This poor management also affects abundance levels, which are half that of intensively managed populations.
“What we were able to show is that when fishery management measures are put in place, the fish stocks recover,” Christopher Costello, a University of California, Santa Barbara professor and study co-author, told SeafoodSource. “Over time, this can allow ecosystems to rebuild and the seafood industry to thrive. But it takes time and commitment.”
The study database, which has been in development for the last decade, includes data on about 880 fish populations from around the world, including Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America, representing almost half the world’s catch.
The data showed that fishing pressure rose and biomass declined for decades until 1995, when fishing pressured started to fall. By 2005, biomass was ticking up again, and by 2016, the average biomass of assessed fish populations was higher than levels needed to produce maximum sustainable yield.
Read the rest of the story at Seafood Source here: https://www.savingseafood.org/science/f ... udy-finds/
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