The reducion of fishing pressure gives beneficial results in a period of time not too long. This is one of the main findings from an investigation led by the National Research Council (CSIC) in Spain.
Reducing fishing pressure gives beneficial results in a period of time not too long. This is one of the main findings from a research led by the National Research Council (CSIC) in Spain, after having studied catches from 53 countries and jurisdictions over more than a decade.
The work, led by CSIC researcher Marta Coll –Institute of Marine Sciences–, and published in the journal Global Environmental Change, reveals that those who have implemented the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries promotted by FAO (the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) have improved their fisheries and they are getting better quality captures.
Further evidence to verify the need to support and protect sustainable forms of fishing around the world, in a context in which overfishing and pressure on fish stocks threaten to irreversibly damage marine biodiversity and occupation of thousands of fishermen.
The study had the participation of the University of British Columbia (Canada), Instituto Nazionale di Oceanografia et di Geofisica Sperimentale (Italia) and the World Wildlife Fund. The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries was developed by FAO in 1995 and aims to reduce the negative impact of fishing on the ecosystem. Experts are convinced that this code is an effective tool in the sustainable management of fisheries resources. However, its compliance is voluntary and the countries that have signed the Code have incorporated it into its legislation with varying success.
The paper analyzes the catches taken by 53 countries and jurisdictions, representing 96% of total catch from 1990 to 2003. To assess the ecological benefits of code, its compliance was compared with five ecological indicators: the trophic level of the catch (related to the size of the prey captured), the volume of total catch, total catch expressed in units of primary production needed to generate the fish caught, the production rate of loss (the loss caused by the capture to the ecosystem; as if it had not been caught, it would have fed other fish), and the likelihood of sustainability of fisheries.
An improvement derived from more sustainable fisheries is reflected in a reduction in the total catch, and primary production required to generate and capture the rate of loss of production, while an increase in the trophic level of the catches and the sustainability index. “While countries that have implemented the code have lower catches, the quality and diversity of their catch is higher”, says Coll.
