What is sustainable fishing?

The seas and oceans are very complex ecosystems, home to a large variety of living beings. For many years they have been under severe overfishing which has endangered the continuity of many species. To avoid this serious problem, it is very important to be fully committed to a sustainable fishing, which respects the environment.

The phenomenon of overfishing is one of the main threats on which the natural resources of the planet are exposed. It consists in capturing both fish and seafood in excessively high quantities, and, by doing so, the captured species don’t have enough time to recover and their population is reducing more and more each time.

The main species affected by overfishing are the ones that are the most consumed on the market. However, this phenomenon also hurts the other species, that are caught accidentally, often because that the fishing equipments used are not very selective. These catches are discarded by fishermen and returned dead to the sea, fact which also contributes to the imbalance in the ecosystem.

Fortunately, in the recent years many fishermen and fishing companies have become more aware of this serious problem and have started to implement the criteria for a sustainable fishing. Let’s see which are the main features:

Respect for the ecosystem. Sustainable fishing is managed trough a perspective focused on the preservation of the various ecosystems, and seeks to minimize the impact of catches to the environment.

Protection of sensitive species. A monitoring of the populations that form each fishing ecosystem is performed, in order to prevent that the species or the most sensitive habitats will not be affected.

Maintaining all populations healthy. Not only the populations of the species to be captured are studied, but also the health of other species is evaluated.

Using advanced and selective fishing methods. These systems are contributing to minimize the discards and also are preventing the destruction of the seabed.

Minimizing the energy consumption. The boats and the machinery used in fishing are becoming more efficient from the energy-saving point of view. Furthermore, the use of harmful chemicals is also avoided and the waste generated during fishing is properly managed.

Consumer information. It is very important that companies perform a proper labeling, so the consumers can clearly identify the product they are buying and the location of its fishing.

Social consciousness. The companies which are performing sustainable fishing are applying fair and socially responsible economic criteria.