Pew Encourages World Leaders to Adopt Big-Picture Approach to Fisheries

Ocean fish are one of the world’s most valuable resources, and managing them requires a modern and comprehensive approach. That’s why The Pew Charitable Trusts on May 29 submitted a letter supporting a big-picture fisheries management strategy to the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, which oversees implementation of a treaty among the European Union and 90 nations to enhance cooperative management of fisheries.

The letter encourages world leaders to adopt ecosystem-based fisheries management, a method that looks beyond when, where and how much a single species can be fished to consider the broader ecosystem, including habitat, food webs, and other marine dynamics that affect fisheries. This approach would help protect habitats, keep food webs balanced, reflect the best science, and promote sustainable fishing in the face of declining fish populations and growing global demand for seafood.

The information in Pew’s letter will be presented in March 2021 to the 15th Informal Consultations of States Parties to the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement.