Many global fisheries at risk of collapse, but hope remains

Published October 2, 2012 in Oceans

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"Data-poor" fisheries make up a majority of the world's catch, about 80 percent. According to new research, many of these are facing collapse. However, the groundbreaking study, published in Science, suggests that hope is not lost.

The authors note that rights-based or catch shares management, which EDF has helped advance, is effective in curbing overfishing — and can help stabilize and rebuild fisheries. If implemented around the world, many fisheries could recover before it's too late.

"It may seem counter-intuitive for an environmentalist to say this, but what we’ve learned is that giving fishermen a stake in protecting the oceans is by far the most effective away to turn declining fisheries around," said Amanda Leland, EDF's vice president of our oceans program, in a recent EDFish blog post that explains in depth how catch shares can save the world's seafood.

More: The Washington Post editorial board lauds catch shares in Saving the World's Fisheries.