Our proposals and demands to combat overfishing
We must counter overfishing, if only in our own interest. Every individual can take action and reconsider their behaviour. Consumers must be informed and change their consumption patterns. Where there is no demand, there is no production. Where no fish is bought, no fish is caught. Where no plastic products are purchased, no plastic is produced. Furthermore, companies, corporations, and politicians must rapidly adopt sustainable thinking, transform production processes, and enact legislation. There are numerous areas in which every single one of us can take action.
There are no more excuses! Everyone can take action!
Fish consumption
Every single individual should reconsider their fish consumption. Fish is by no means as healthy as claimed by the industry. Sustainability labels, such as the MSC seal, no longer provide a guarantee of truly sustainable fisheries. Over the years, this seal has evolved into a marketing bubble for the fishing industry and is now only associated with sustainability in very few fisheries, such as pole-and-line fishing. Consumers who value the healthy substances in fish can obtain them in other forms. Omega-3 fatty acids are present in linseed oil, walnut oil, and walnuts. It is not necessary to consume fish or swallow fish oil capsules to maintain a healthy diet.
To date, it remains unknown what microplastics do within the bodies of either fish or humans; research in this area is still in its infancy. Environmental toxins such as PCBs and dioxins, which bioaccumulate particularly in river fish like eel, present further unpredictable risks. Methylmercury is considered one of the most toxic pollutants and occurs particularly in long-lived fish such as tuna, mackerel, monkfish, swordfish, and sharks. Bioaccumulated over years in the bodies of the fish, it ends up on our plates, leading to dramatic health consequences.
Therefore, we advise against the consumption of marine and river fish, not only for the sake of our oceans and the constantly depleting fish stocks, but also for personal health protection.
Marine Protected Areas
We support the call by scientists to place at least 30% of the oceans under protection by 2030. However, these must then be strictly managed protected areas where fishing of any kind, whether benthic or pelagic, is prohibited without exception. Human activity must be excluded in every respect.
Seismic surveys
We demand highly stringent regulation of seismic surveys (for oil extraction and offshore wind farms) and low-frequency active sonar (LFA) in the military sector. Within and around marine protected areas, as well as on cetacean migration routes, these methods must be entirely banned over a wide area.
Industrial fishing
We call for a global ban on industrial longline fishing, deep-sea bottom trawling, and the use of fish aggregating devices (FADs), as well as a drastic reduction in, and the complementary use of bycatch-reduction technologies in, bottom trawling and purse seine fishing. This is also an ethical issue, as these fishing techniques primarily benefit large industrial fleets through cheap catch methods and a competitive advantage over small-scale fishers, thereby destroying their livelihoods. Industrially operated, unsustainable, non-selective fishing methods that cause long-term destruction to marine ecosystems must be regulated to a far greater extent, while small-scale, mostly sustainable fisheries must be supported globally.
Overall, fisheries management and consequently the guidelines for catch quotas and protected areas must adopt a holistic approach. Removing populations of keystone species from an ecosystem can cause it to collapse. The damage to society resulting from lost ecosystem services would then be far more severe than the lost profits of an individual. Therefore, fisheries management must be progressively expanded to include other stakeholder groups, such as (eco-)tourism and coastal residents.
Our detailed brochure on the subject can be found in our downloads.