Overfishing Solutions: Challenges and Sustainable Approaches

Overfishing threatens global fish stocks and requires urgent, coordinated action to ensure sustainable practices.

### Addressing Overfishing: Solutions for Sustainable Fishing Practices
* 🐟 The global overfishing problem poses a significant threat to the sustainability of fish stocks, with the FAO reporting that **one-third of the world's fisheries are overfished**.
* 💰 In 2020, the international trade of fisheries and aquaculture products was valued at approximately **$150 billion**, highlighting the **economic importance** of these resources.
* 📉 A major contributor to overfishing is government fishing subsidies, estimated at **$22.2 billion**, which incentivize **excessive fishing practices**.
* ✍ Progress has been made with the signing of the **World Trade Organization Agreement on Fishery Subsidies** in June 2022, aiming to **prohibit subsidies for illegal and unregulated fishing**, but it requires ratification by **two-thirds of WTO members**, which is currently pending.
* 🦈 Protecting essential predator species, such as sharks, is crucial, as **one-third of shark species are facing extinction**, impacting the ocean's ecosystem.
* 🌊 The FAO suggests adjusting fishing nets to reduce bycatch, which has shown to **decrease marine mammal mortality by 98%** in certain regions.
* 🐠 While aquaculture can relieve pressure on wild stocks, it raises concerns about **food security in poorer nations** due to its reliance on **small fish species for feed**.
* 🚤 Additionally, the challenge of regulating the vast number of fishing boats, with **illegal fishing accounting for about 20% of the catch**, underscores the complexity of addressing overfishing effectively.

So, Susannah, what problem are we mulling over today? Can we solve our overfishing problem and sustainably satisfy the world's hunger for fish? According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, or the FAO, in 2020, the international trade of fisheries and aquaculture products was worth around $150bn. But the FAO now classifies a third of the world's fishery stocks as overfished, which means they're being fished beyond sustainable levels. So, what can be done to combat overfishing? Firstly, fishing subsidies which incentivise overfishing are a huge problem. Now, these are subsidies from governments for things such as fuel, fishing gear and new vessels. An academic study from 2019 estimated that these government payouts to the fishing industry totalled around $22.2bn. There has been some progress in limiting subsidies, especially those that end up supporting unregulated fishing.

In June 2022, the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fishery Subsidies was signed. The goal in mind is to prohibit subsidy support for illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, and limiting fishing of overfished stocks. But it's only due to come into force when two-thirds of WTO members ratify it. That means that 110 countries have to ratify it. But as of the first of July of this year, only 78 countries have done so. So, what other measures could we be looking at? Firstly, we could be doing more to protect essential predator species. For example, it's estimated by the WWF that one-third of shark species face extinction. Predator species like sharks play a crucial role in the ocean ecosystem and food chain. Next, to avoid bycatch, the FAO has suggested placing the top end of fishing nets two metres lower in the water. Now, this has been shown to effectively

reduce the mortality of marine mammal bycatch by 98 per cent in places like the Indian Ocean. Finally, the growth of aquaculture, which is fish farmed in pens or ponds, could ease some of the pressure on wild stocks. Today, more than 50 per cent of the fish that we eat is farmed. Of course, these measures that I've been speaking about come with their own challenges. If we take aquaculture, for example, critics say aquaculture’s practices for sourcing feed harm food security in poorer countries. That's because it hoovers up small species of fish, which the local communities rely on for food, in order to make fishmeal for the aquaculture farms. Another huge challenge facing authorities is simply the sheer number of fishing boats in the world, many of which are unregulated. Now, according to the FAO, illegal, or unregulated fishing accounts for some 20 per cent of what's caught, or around 26 million tonnes of fish every year.

Regulating fisheries has always been a highly political issue. But no matter how difficult the problem of overfishing is to solve, it cannot be ignored.

Is it possible to sustainably satisfy the world's hunger for fish? | FT Rethink

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Financial Times

Combating Overfishing: Challenges and Solutions

Overfishing is a significant problem, with a third of the world's fishery stocks classified as overfished by the FAO.

Government fishing subsidies, totaling around $22.

2bn, incentivize overfishing, but progress has been made with the 2022 WTO Agreement on Fishery Subsidies.

Additional measures, such as protecting predator species and adjusting fishing net placements, are also being considered to combat overfishing and its impact on the ocean ecosystem.

Reducing Marine Mammal Bycatch and the Role of Aquaculture

Efforts are being made to reduce marine mammal bycatch by 98% in areas like the Indian Ocean, while aquaculture is growing to alleviate pressure on wild fish stocks, with over 50% of the fish we eat now farmed.

However, aquaculture's feed sourcing practices are criticized for harming food security in poorer countries by depleting small fish species.

Additionally, the unregulated fishing boat population poses a significant challenge, with illegal fishing accounting for 20% of the global catch, or around 26 million tonnes of fish annually.

Regulating fisheries is a politically charged issue, yet the problem of overfishing cannot be overlooked.

The challenge of finding a solution to overfishing remains difficult.

Ignoring the issue could have significant consequences for marine ecosystems and fish populations.