Fisheries: The World’s Food and Livelihoods Under Threat

From climate change and plastic pollution to overfishing and mismanagement, a range of factors is converging to jeopardize our marine resources—and the people who rely on them for sustenance, income, or cultural identity.

What Do the Numbers Tell Us?

Fisheries are far more than just a productive sector. They form a cornerstone of the global food system, a key livelihood source, a biodiversity reservoir, and a powerful tool in combating poverty and achieving sustainable development.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, marine fisheries supply around 80 million tons of protein annually and generate $80–85 billion in revenue each year. The sector provides employment to an estimated 260 million people worldwide, many of whom are small-scale fishers deeply rooted in coastal and marginalized communities.

In its 2024 report “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture”, the FAO reported that global fisheries and aquaculture production surged to 223.2 million tonnes in 2022, with 185.4 million tonnes of aquatic animals and 37.8 million tonnes of algae. While aquaculture has seen major growth, wild capture fisheries have remained relatively stable since the late 1980s. In 2022, natural capture fisheries produced about 92.3 million tons, including 81 million from marine waters and 11.3 million from inland waters, highlighting their ongoing global importance.

Regionally, the FAO’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean estimates that fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea generate about $2.8 billion annually—despite facing severe environmental pressures.

In response to global shifts, the FAO is urging a “Blue Transformation”—a strategic vision to increase sustainable production, improve nutrition, protect marine ecosystems, and raise living standards in coastal areas—ensuring no one is left behind.

What’s Putting the World’s Fisheries at Risk?

Choking Oceans: The Plastics Crisis

Oceans are no longer safe havens—they are rapidly becoming dumping grounds, with plastic pollution at the forefront. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that 11 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year—the equivalent of a garbage truck dumping plastic into the sea every minute.

This pollution suffocates marine life, causes starvation and toxicity, and harms delicate ecosystems such as coral reefs and wetlands. Microplastics pose an invisible yet deadly risk, infiltrating fish and plankton, threatening the entire food web—including humans.

Ghost gear—abandoned fishing nets, lines, and traps—further devastates marine life. These lost tools continue to catch and kill indiscriminately for decades.

The economic toll is also enormous. Coastal industries like fishing and shipping bear the brunt. In the Mediterranean alone, the annual cost is estimated at US$138 million per year, reflecting the widespread impact on people’s livelihoods.

Overfishing: Depleting the Oceans

Overfishing is one of the gravest threats to the sustainability of global fisheries. When the rate of extraction surpasses the natural replenishment of fish stocks, ecosystems collapse and productivity declines. This leads to the depletion of commercially valuable species and the deterioration of life for millions of coastal fishers who depend on the sea.

In its 2025 report, the FAO warned that 35% of global fish stocks are exploited unsustainably due to overfishing, poor governance, and the impacts of climate change. The findings, based on an analysis of 2,570 marine species, reveal alarming pressure on our oceans.

Yet, there is hope. Approximately 77% of fish consumed globally comes from sustainably managed fisheries—especially in regions such as:

• Pacific Coast of the U.S. and Canada: Over 90% of stocks are sustainably managed.
  
• Australia and New Zealand: Sustainability rates exceed 85%.
  
• Antarctica: A rare 100%, thanks to strict regulations.
  

But the story differs drastically elsewhere. In Northwest Africa, from Morocco to the Gulf of Guinea, over half of fish stocks are overexploited, with weak signs of recovery. The Mediterranean fares even worse, with around 65% of fish stocks classified as unsustainable—one of the highest rates of overfishing in the world.

Still, positive trends are emerging. The number of fishing vessels in the Mediterranean has dropped by about one-third over the past decade, signaling a slow shift toward better policies and management. Recovery is possible—but it demands political will, rigorous resource governance, and long-term investment in protecting marine ecosystems.

This isn’t just an environmental issue. Over 600 million people globally rely on fisheries and aquaculture for their primary source of income and nutrition.

Climate Change: A Threat to Ocean Life

Climate change poses an existential threat to global fisheries. It disrupts marine ecosystems, especially in coastal and developing regions that depend heavily on the sea for food and economic survival.

Although the Mediterranean Sea makes up less than 1% of the ocean’s surface area, it is home to nearly 20% of known marine species—making it a global hotspot for biodiversity.

The World Bank highlights the cascading effects of climate change: rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification are throwing marine life cycles into disarray. Acidification, in particular, hampers the ability of organisms like mollusks and crustaceans to build shells, undermining the marine carbon cycle and the food web.

Shifts in ocean currents are disrupting fish breeding and migration patterns, reshaping their geographic distribution and threatening food security. As ocean temperatures rise, many fish species are migrating to cooler waters, destabilizing local ecosystems and economies.

The FAO warns that warming waters are altering fish growth, reproduction, and migration—putting marine fisheries at grave risk. Increased CO₂ absorption by the oceans worsens acidification, endangering shell-forming species such as crustaceans and oysters, and jeopardizing the food chain.

Meanwhile, changes in the timing of plankton blooms—the primary food source for juvenile fish—create dangerous mismatches between fish hatching and food availability, reducing survival rates.

The damage isn’t confined to the deep sea. Coastal areas are also suffering: extreme storms, hurricanes, and sea-level rise are destroying critical habitats like mangrove forests and coral reefs, which serve as natural nurseries essential for marine life sustainability.

Safeguarding fisheries is no longer a luxury we can afford to overlook—it is a necessity imposed by the pressing environmental and economic challenges of our time. In a world striving to eliminate poverty and hunger, marine resources have become a vital lifeline for entire communities, especially those that rely on the sea as a primary source of food and income.

From this perspective, protecting fish stocks is a collective responsibility that demands firm, coordinated action. This includes sustainable fisheries management, combating illegal fishing, enforcing strict legislative frameworks, protecting marine habitats, addressing the impacts of climate change, and curbing pollution—especially plastic pollution.

The true challenge today lies in striking a meaningful balance between utilizing this wealth and preserving it for future generations. We must fully recognize that our oceans are not merely a resource—but an essential partner in securing our future and sustaining life on this planet.

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