Ocean biodiversity is core to earth’s natural ecosystems and functioning, and thus key to maintaining the stability of our sphere of operation as humans. We know that we want and need to protect it to keep ourselves healthy but many of the risks to human health are direct products of the ways in which we try to use ocean resources to survive and improve our lives. Our interdependence with the ocean is a complex web of causes and effects, but we can isolate key drivers to limit negative outcomes.
One key topic is fishing and aquaculture. Fish are an important source of protein and micronutrients in many diets (https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pan3.10038#pan310038-bib-0012). However, our increased consumption of fish and the adverse impacts of other human activities on oceans is putting us in a bad position to continue benefitting: marine ecologists have predicted that fish stocks are set to collapse in 40 years (2009, https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/38/1/93/693073), and global aquaculture production has already increased passed beef production (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12152).
Production has to be sufficient, safe and nutritious to meet immediate needs and preferences, but it also has to be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable to provide for the long term https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12152
So, what can we do to address overfishing?
- Reduce your seafood consumption
- Eat sustainable seafood. 4 simple rules for when you do eat fish (Saving the Oceans by Eating Sustainable Seafood)
- Small fish not big ones: https://localcatch.org/
- Wild fish not farmed (use the Seafood Watch guides or app and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label to help you select appropriate choices)
- Choose local: https://localcatch.org/
- Eat farmed shellfish, rather than wild caught
- Make sure your policymakers know you care so they can support sustainable management of fisheries & aquaculture and appropriate fishing regulation
Photo: The Ocean Agency: Nicolas Job