Traditionally the main environmental indicators for sustainable fisheries focus on ensuring that fish populations, ecosystems, and habitats remain healthy and productive over the long term. These indicators are essential for measuring the sustainability of fisheries management practices.
More recently, the contribution of a fishery to climate change has been added to the discussion. Animal welfare in fisheries is also increasingly seen as an important issue. But is this part of sustainability or should it be categorised as something else? And what is the best way to express these indicators? These are questions that the VeriFish team is working on to ensure that information about seafood products is expressed in a universal and meaningful way.
In addition to these environmental indicators, it is also important to consider social and economic indicators: do the workers in the fishing and processing industry have rights, and do they get fair pay? Are fishing activities economically sustainable without leading to resource depletion? How is the socio-economic well-being of fishing communities? To what extent does the fishery contribute to local and global food security?
A more detailed look at the main indicators:
1. Fish Stock Status
This is defined by the stock biomass and the fishing mortality. Fisheries managers also take into account recruitment: the number of juvenile fish entering the population.
Stock biomass measures the size of a fish population, helping to determine whether a stock is healthy. Biomass should be maintained at levels that support maximum sustainable yield (MSY).
Fishing Mortality Rate is the rate at which fish are removed from the population through fishing. This indicator helps assess if the rate of fishing is sustainable or exceeding the replenishment rate.
2. Environmental impact
A fishery can have an impact on other species and on the habitat. It is determined by the fishing technique.
Bycatch and Discards
Bycatch tracks the capture of non-target species (other fish species, marine mammals, seabirds, turtles, and other fish species). Bycatch can be wanted or unwanted. Wanted bycatch are species that are retained. Unwanted bycatch usually is discarded (thrown back into the sea, often dead or dying). Sustainable fisheries aim to minimize bycatch to protect biodiversity. Lower discard rates are an indicator of more selective fishing practices.
Some of the bycatch can be listed as threatened and Endangered Species. Reducing or eliminating impact on these species is a key goal of sustainable fisheries.
Habitat and Ecosystem Impact
An indicator for habitat disturbance measures the extent to which fishing activities (e.g., trawling) disturb or destroy marine habitats like coral reefs, seagrass beds, and seabed communities.
Indicators for trophic level monitor changes in the types of species being caught, focusing on whether the fishery is targeting species higher up or lower down in the food chain. Shifts in trophic level can indicate ecosystem imbalance.
Indicators for ecosystem functioning assesses whether the fishing activity maintains the structure, productivity, and functioning of the entire ecosystem.
Further environmental indicators can be the levels of pollution, such as plastic, heavy metals, or chemical contaminants, in marine environments resulting from fishing operations or related industries. Also ghost gear can be monitored: the amount of lost or abandoned fishing gear (such as nets and traps). These gears can continue to harm marine life.
3. Management and Governance
Do we know how this fish stock is doing? Fisheries management starts with monitoring how a fish stock is doing. Will the fishery be healthy in the future? This means that measures need to be in place to ensure that the fish stock and the environment remain healthy or can recover. Measures regulate fishing capacity: the total amount of effort expended in fishing, such as the number of boats, technical measures such as mesh size, effort limitations, quota, area- or seasonal closures. Usually a management plan has harvest control rules, determining management decisions. The measures have to be effective, so indicators have to demonstrate sufficient enforcement and compliance and enforcement.
Conclusion:
As the global demand for seafood continues to rise, ensuring that fisheries and aquaculture practices are sustainable is more critical than ever. By developing and implementing a comprehensive framework of environmental, social, and economic indicators, we can better manage marine resources, protect ecosystems, and support the livelihoods of fishing communities. These indicators not only serve as tools for assessing the health of fish stocks but also for addressing broader issues such as climate change, fair labor practices, and food security.
The work of VeriFish aims to provide clear, actionable insights into these complex areas, ensuring that consumers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders have the information they need to make responsible choices. By adopting these practices, we can work toward a future where seafood production and consumption are truly sustainable, benefiting both the planet and its people.
Let’s continue to refine and develop these indicators to drive meaningful change in the world of fisheries and aquaculture.
More information: https://verifish.info/
Authors: Christine Absil and Michelle Boonstra (VeriFish Partner: Clupea)
Editor: Ixai Salvo (VeriFish Partner: Eurofish)
