Are sustainable fishing practices actually sustainable?

Apr 7
02:00

2022

Georgie Hawthorne

Georgie Hawthorne

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Fishing has been around for centuries, and it has always been an important part of the global food system. These days, it is no surprise that many people are concerned about how fishing impacts our environment in both positive and negative ways, which is why the best seafood exporters in South Asia are following strict rules and regulations regarding buying from fishing vessels that maintain sustainable fishing methods.

mediaimage

What is sustainable fishing?

Sustainable fishing involves using practices that are sustainable for both the fish population and the fishermen. What seafood exporters in Sri Lanka are saying is that,Are sustainable fishing practices actually sustainable? Articles sustainable fishing is important because it helps ensure that there will be an abundance of seafood in our future, which can help feed a growing global population.

 

Some of these sustainable methods include banning trawling, using circular nets that don't trap other species, catching smaller fish instead of larger ones to reduce overfishing, regulating mesh sizes on fishing nets to make sure juvenile fish can escape them easily, etc. These practices were developed by both fishers and scientists who wanted to ensure there would be lots of seafood available in the future without depleting the population too quickly. Fishermen depend on having a healthy stock of wild-caught seafood so they have something to catch each day.

 

However, as any professional fish export company in Sri Lanka will tell you, some methods of so-called "sustainable" fishing aren't actually very sustainable at all. They might make some leverage when it comes to helping fishermen, but they aren't good for the fish population and may result in there being less fish in the future.

 

The ocean is a vast place and there are many fish that need to be caught in order to feed the world's ever-growing population; however, if these fish start disappearing at an increasingly quick rate, then everyone will suffer because there won't be enough seafood available for people around the globe to consume. Although this seems like something that could never happen on a global scale, it has happened before when cod got overfished off of Canada and New England during the late 20th Century. The Canadian government tried implementing sustainable fishing practices but by doing so allowed fishermen from other countries such as Russia and China to take more than their fair share, which drove stocks down even further until some boats were catching nothing each day.

 

Pros and cons of sustainable fishing

There are many pros and cons to sustainable fishing. The pros include:

  • Helping the environment and wildlife not become endangered or extinct.
  • It ensures that seafood continues to be available for people around the globe, but in limited quantities so we don't overfish our oceans.
  • Fishermen would also make more money because they wouldn't have to worry about going out on days when there is no fish since their quota has been met already from previous trips.

 

The cons of sustainable fishing include:

  • It can hurt some fishermen's pockets if their quotas are reduced which means less profit overall even though they may catch smaller amounts of fish each day instead of catching nothing at all for long periods of time.
  • Sustainable fishing is not necessarily the best way to go for everyone since some fishermen might have different opinions on how much fish they can catch without hurting their livelihoods too much which could lead to disagreements later on down the road.

 

Types of fish that can be caught sustainably

There are many different types of fish that are caught in a sustainable manner, including:

According to the best tuna exporter in Sri Lanka, although sustainable fishing is a better idea overall, it can be difficult to implement in certain areas due to the fact that not everyone agrees on how much they are allowed to catch each day, leading to conflicts later down the road.

 

There are other methods available such as net pens where people breed salmon before releasing them into rivers, but these farms often release chemicals into the water. In countries that do not have a lot of money, these farms are sometimes built by companies from other countries who then hire local fisherman to fish in the area which can be bad for the environment.

 

How do we know if the fish we are buying is actually from a sustainable source or not?

Ways to ensure that the fish you buy is caught using sustainable methods is to ask your local fishmonger or to look at where the fish was caught. For example, if it says Alaska then you know that the salmon has been caught in a sustainable way because of all the regulations there are on fishing in that area.

 

The fact is that we have to stop overfishing. If we don’t, the fish will die out and there won’t be anything left for us to catch. The more sustainable fishing practices that are used now might not actually be sustainable in the long-term if they continue this way because of how fast our oceans are being depleted of life. It is up to each one of us, as consumers, fishers or people who care about what happens on Earth, to make a change so future generations can enjoy this magnificent protein just like we do today.