Sustainable fishing methods

The future of fisheries: balancing the health of the ecosystem with the needs of fishermen. Increasing amounts of fish are being caught word wide in order to fulfil the growing demands of the increasing world population. Many fish stocks are currently overfished, meaning that the rate of removal through fishing is greater than their natural capacity to maintain a healthy balanced population. In this film different aspects are highlighted that need urgent attention to curb the trend. In the new European Common Fisheries Policy both the ban on discards and measures to accomplish sustainable methods of fishing are leading. Consumers also play a role by making the right choice when information on origin and fishing method are available. The data on population sizes, biomass and size classes as collected by scientists are crucial to understand what needs to be done. An important solution may be held by developments in aquaculture, especially if cultured fish are fed with reduced amounts of wild fish products.