The Fisheries Problem

That overfishing is one of the most pressing problems facing our oceans is barely noticeable in everyday life. Supermarkets stock fish fingers for €1.99, even though domestic Atlantic cod stocks are overfished or entirely depleted [Quelle 1]. Shelves are packed with tuna, skipjack, coalfish and trout, most of it bearing the MSC seal, which is designed to convey a comforting sense of environmentally conscious consumerism. Yet, even assuming truly sustainable practices, the seal is nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophecy – intact fish populations continue to fall victim to our hunger for seafood until they too are completely overfished.

Only selective fishing methods can be sustainable, where exclusively the target species is caught; this technique is known as "pole and line" fishing. In contrast, several fishing methods cannot be sustainable because the application of these technologies inevitably results in immense quantities of other animals caught as bycatch. Internationally, drift nets were banned in 1994 [Quelle 2]. In Germany, drift-net fishing ended in 1993. To this day, however, longlines, bottom trawls and fish aggregating devices (FADs) in purse seine fisheries continue to be used globally without restriction in industrial fishing.

Looking beneath the ocean's surface, everything appears as it always has: small fish dart between seagrass and corals, and the underwater world continues to fascinate divers and snorkellers. Only a look back into history reveals what we ourselves can barely perceive:

When viewing the film footage of Jaques-Yves Cousteau, John “Charlie” Veron, Sylvia Earle and other renowned pioneers of marine research, it quickly becomes clear that our oceans once harboured a multiple of the life that remains today. Sylvia Earle, when asked where the most beautiful dive site in the world was, once replied: “Almost anywhere, fifty years ago” [Quelle 3].

Our memory of the past constantly adapts to the impressions of the present; our awareness of baseline conditions is calibrated to the state we have been accustomed to since childhood. This dilemma of the "shifting baseline" is encountered in many everyday situations and further complicates conservation efforts seeking to counter ecological degradation. Yet even in the recent past, we find examples of declining fish abundance right on our doorstep.

The Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) was so abundant until the 20th century that it served as a staple food for Europe's poorer populations whilst simultaneously driving the rise of the Hanseatic League – until overfishing and ecological fluctuations led to a collapse in the 21st century [Quelle 4]. Until then, herring stocks had been believed to be inexhaustible. Today, many decades and several quota reductions later, the Atlantic herring population is again considered stable [Quelle 1].

The situation is different for the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua): one of the most famous examples of overfishing unfolded during the 1980s and 1990s off the coast of Newfoundland, where cod stocks were so abundant that countless people moved to Canada to seek wealth as fishermen. It was Canada's gold rush. Following a reduction in stocks to less than 1% of the historical biomass, a moratorium was finally negotiated in 1992, halting further commercial fishing [Quelle 5]. Since then, stocks have recovered only sluggishly. Additional fishing pressure and adverse ecological conditions in the North Sea [Quelle 6] and Baltic Sea [Quelle 7] have led to a severe decline of cod in the Northern Hemisphere, and the species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List [Quelle 8].

According to the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 34% of global fish stocks are currently overfished, 60% are fished to maximum sustainable capacity, and only 6% are “underfished” [Quelle 1]. Since 1990, global fish consumption has more than doubled (222%).

The only permanent solution to the problem of overfishing is addressing the root cause: reducing fish consumption. Even if it may not feel like it due to cheap domestic prices, we must no longer take fish for granted, but must transition to the conscious consumption of truly sustainably caught fish. We do not require fish in our diet. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends consuming 1-2 portions of fish per week to meet omega-3 fatty acid requirements [Quelle 9]. Animals (including humans) cannot synthesise these themselves and must ingest them through their diet. This raises the question... where do fish get their omega-3? From the algae that they or their prey consume. To maintain healthy fatty acid levels, consuming plants is highly recommended. Nuts, for example, contain abundant omega-3 fatty acids while being far more sustainable than fish.

Currently, 11% of the world's population is undernourished, particularly in the countries of South Asia, Africa and especially Sub-Saharan Africa [Quelle 10]. Facing increasingly extreme weather events, these populations will rely even more heavily on fish consumption in the future, while for us it remains a luxury product.

Through our economic practices, we harm those who already have the least, because we have become accustomed to the luxury of the Western world – another baseline that has shifted drastically and now leads to public outcry whenever we are expected to forgo our luxuries.