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Understanding the problem

Over the past century, the increasing demand for seafood has had huge implications for marine species and oceans ecosystems. The adoption of increasingly powerful vessels and technologies has led to a massive increase in global fishing. Between 1950 and 2005 the amount of fish harvested worldwide increased sevenfold. Today at least 75 percent of the world’s fish stocks are considered as fully exploited, overexploited or depleted.

Fisheries Techniques

The catch method used in a fishery is one decisive factor determining its sustainability. For example, the practice of bottom trawling has been likened to forest clear-cutting. Seabed ecosystems are ploughed up and a wide range of organisms are crushed in the path of the trawl or scooped up in the nets. More selective techniques, like hook-and-line, offer more sustainable methods of fishing.

Aquaculture

With the decline of the world's marine fish stocks, fish farming is on the rise. Traditional forms of aquaculture can and do make substantial contributions to food supplies in areas of the world where food needs are acute, but these need to be sustainable. However, aquaculture is not the solution to overfishing. There are a number of conditions an aquaculture operation must adhere to in order to be sustainable.

A brief history of overfishing

Far from being watery voids, the Earth's oceans are home to a rich and colourful variety of life. Yet today's waters are empty compared to the oceans of the past. The ocean's bounty didn't disappear overnight. While today's fishing industry is ruthlessly efficient, intense exploitation began not in the modern era, or even with the dawn of industrialisation, but in the eleventh century in medieval Europe.

Resources

Did you take the bait? Do you want to learn more? This section lists resources that provide further online information about fisheries, aquaculture, endangered species and other related issues.

Greeenpeace Seafood websites