Daniel Pauly, one of the world’s leading fishery scientists, has spent decades documenting global overfishing. We profiled him Friday on The Tyee.
In the last 60 years, globalization has transformed largely sustainable, small-scale local fishing enterprises into something very different.
Now largely corporate-owned and controlled fleets subsidized by taxpayers roam the world’s oceans, depleting fish stocks either legally or illegally, Pauly says.
Pauly’s pioneering and often provocative work has shed light on what the scientist calls the toxic triad of fisheries the under-reporting of catches, overfishing and the tendency to blame depleted catches on the environment.
So what would Pauly do if he became a sort of global fishery minister? Just how would he renew the globe’s depleted fisheries?
The scientist, who has a reputation for bluntness, doesn’t hesitate for a minute, rattling off three major reforms.
Everything hinges on going back to the future, says Pauly.
1. End government subsidies for industrial fishing fleets
First, I would try to abolish subsidies, he says. It would have a huge effect globally. All the fishery scientists and free marketers would be happy with me.
The major global fishing companies receive some $20 billion to $30 billion a year in government subsidies, he said, which encourages them to continue fishing even as stocks are depleted.
Industry subsidies in countries such as Spain and Russia support large trawling fleets, mainly by assisting with their fuel bills.
2. Create fishing reserves for small, local fisheries
Next, Pauly would focus on creating exclusive zones for small fisheries.
I would create a zone of 30 to 40 kilometres around every country, reserved for small-scale fisheries that don’t drag nets over the ocean bottom.
Small fisheries employ large numbers of local people. They use less fuel per pound of fish caught. They tend not to waste fish. And they provide local food for local people.
3. Establish no-go zones to protect fish
Last but not least, Pauly would establish large marine reserves where no fishing is allowed. I would set up a network of large protected areas, he says.
He says a ban on fishing in the high seas the ocean far from coasts should be considered.
It wouldn’t decline the catch too much, he says. But it would ensure there were places were fish were protected from commercial predation. Tuna, for example, could still be caught in coastal areas. But the open ocean would provide a protected space.
The research on marine reserves shows conclusively that by every measure the number of fish, their size and diversity they allow stocks to rebound even after overfishing.