A group of international fishing scientists says it’s time to take a more holistic approach to fishing.
The report by five conservation and fisheries scientists is urging a more ecosystem approach to fishing management, with a moderate level of fishing spread across a wide range of species, stocks and sizes.
Senior research scientist with the CSIRO in Hobart, Australia, Dr Tony Smith says it’s a significant shift.
“Essentially what we came up with was the suggestion that rather than be highly selective about the way we fish, which has been argued in the past as the correct way to fish, we should think about harvesting the marine ecosystem more broadly,” he said.
“But probably at a much lower level of intensity. That way you can still secure food security but you might be eating things that are slightly different.”
The report, ‘Reconsidering the consequences of selective fisheries’, was a collaboration fostered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Ecosystem Management.
2012 ABC