Fisheries
Oceans under pressure
Marine ecosystems world-wide are under huge pressure, due to overfishing. This is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time.
Oceans under pressure
Marine ecosystems world-wide are under huge pressure, due to overfishing. This is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time.
As a result of the growing number of fishing boats and technical innovation, the catch capacity has risen dramatically the last decade. Overfishing not only leads to a decrease in various species of fish but also has other, particularly adverse consequences for marine ecosystems, such as disturbance of the sea bottom and by-catch of other species. It is a major problem that about 30% of global fishing is illegal. As a result, it is hard to determine where and how the fish was caught. In the past few years, aquaculture (fish farming) has been practised on a steadily growing scale. In several countries, this leads to serious contamination and damage to vulnerable areas, such as mangroves.
Policy and developments
The Dutch fishing policy is part of the Community Fishing Policy of the EU. Although the focus has shifted towards responsible management of fish stocks in the past few years, the measures to bring this objective about have fallen short of the mark. In the last few years, as fish stocks in the North Sea and the north-eastern Atlantic have declined due to overfishing, Dutch fisheries have been focusing more on remote fishing grounds off the coasts of West Africa and Indonesia, for instance. With the increase of globalization and the exhaustion of regional fish stocks, the international fish trade has been gaining importance as an economic activity.
The importance of sustainable fishing
Marine water and freshwater provide a wide diversity in food (fish, crustaceans and shellfish). Almost one billion people depend on fishing as their main source of protein. Additionally, fishing generates employment, income and recreation. It is clear that society should treat the seas and coastal areas with great care. Sustainable fishing is a current social and political theme. It is one of the key issues of the Dutch international policy on biodiversity. Environmental organizations in many countries are committed to counteract overfishing and protect the seas and oceans. Creating sustainable markets requires the involvement of all actors, such as governments, fishermen, traders, consumers and scientists.
Measures
To ease the pressure on marine ecosystems and achieve sustainable fishing, the government and the private sector should take the following measures:
Marine ecosystems world-wide are under huge pressure, due to overfishing. This is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time.
As a result of the growing number of fishing boats and technical innovation, the catch capacity has risen dramatically the last decade. Overfishing not only leads to a decrease in various species of fish but also has other, particularly adverse consequences for marine ecosystems, such as disturbance of the sea bottom and by-catch of other species. It is a major problem that about 30% of global fishing is illegal. As a result, it is hard to determine where and how the fish was caught. In the past few years, aquaculture (fish farming) has been practised on a steadily growing scale. In several countries, this leads to serious contamination and damage to vulnerable areas, such as mangroves.
Policy and developments
The Dutch fishing policy is part of the Community Fishing Policy of the EU. Although the focus has shifted towards responsible management of fish stocks in the past few years, the measures to bring this objective about have fallen short of the mark. In the last few years, as fish stocks in the North Sea and the north-eastern Atlantic have declined due to overfishing, Dutch fisheries have been focusing more on remote fishing grounds off the coasts of West Africa and Indonesia, for instance. With the increase of globalization and the exhaustion of regional fish stocks, the international fish trade has been gaining importance as an economic activity.
The importance of sustainable fishing
Marine water and freshwater provide a wide diversity in food (fish, crustaceans and shellfish). Almost one billion people depend on fishing as their main source of protein. Additionally, fishing generates employment, income and recreation. It is clear that society should treat the seas and coastal areas with great care. Sustainable fishing is a current social and political theme. It is one of the key issues of the Dutch international policy on biodiversity. Environmental organizations in many countries are committed to counteract overfishing and protect the seas and oceans. Creating sustainable markets requires the involvement of all actors, such as governments, fishermen, traders, consumers and scientists.
Measures
To ease the pressure on marine ecosystems and achieve sustainable fishing, the government and the private sector should take the following measures:
- Reducing the pressure on fishing (by reducing the catch quotas and by putting other catch restrictions in place)
- Driving back IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing)
- Reducing uncontrolled by-catch and fish thrown away unused
- Prohibiting destructive fishing techniques
- Developing and implementing improved fishing techniques
- Setting up a network of strategically chosen MPAs (Marine Protected Areas)
What does IUCN NL do?
IUCN NL encourages the government in a national and EU framework to come to a sustainable fishing policy with a sustainable implementation and to base this policy on scientific advice. IUCN NL further encourages the government to protect the vulnerable marine (coastal) areas and to set up an MPA network. IUCN NL particularly emphasizes the dialogue with the fishing sector: motivating the major stakeholders to use the natural resources more effectively and more sustainably, to realize a social, economic and ecological balance and make the fishing chain more transparent. To this end, IUCN NL focuses primarily on the importers of deep-frozen fish, who account for the larger part of the import (over 2 billion euros per year). IUCN NL is also actively involved in a number of Public-Private Partnerships on achieving sustainable fishing activities, for instance in West Africa and Peru.
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