Wild Caught Fish

The following links serve as a companion to The 2050 Criteria, providing additional data, information, tools, and resources on the wild caught fish sector. For context and more complete guidance, download the full report.

Data and Information

• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) maintains an online database of fisheries in the MSC program. Available data include further information on Key Performance Indicators such as stock health and bycatch.
• Rights Based Management (RBM) is WWF's program to implement Rights Based Management (RBM), with a position statement on the use of RBM.
• WWF is also developing an overall position paper on Bottom Trawling detailing risks and proper mitigations.
• The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has recently released a research report on the environmental impacts of the MSC program.
• The FAO’s Fishery and Aquatic Report 2010 provides comprehensive statistics on wild-caught and aquaculture production, consumption, stocks, and trends.
• The FAO Fishery Statistical Collection provides information on wild-caught and aquaculture production globally in the period 1950-2009.
• An annual analysis of the EU whitefish fishery and the EU seafood industry.
• The International Sustainable Seafood Foundation maintains a database of IMO registered fishing vessels.
• The McKinsey and Co. report, Design for Sustainable Fisheries — Modeling Fishery Economics, presents methods for designing and evaluating pathways to sustainable fisheries.
• The Prince’s Charities International Sustainability Unit Marine Programme has released a new report. Towards Global Sustainable Fisheries: the Opportunity for Transition, provides research on solutions to sustaining and increasing food production from the marine environment. The report provides suggested tools (“smart economics, the ecosystem approach, and robust management”) for rebuilding fish stocks.
  
• WWF recommendations on sourcing policies of processors, traders brands and retailers aiming for a 100% sustainability portfolio.

Evaluation & Certification

• A WWF-commissioned report Blueprint for Sustainable Tropical Shrimp Trawl Fisheries provides extensive analysis and performance indicators for fisheries that are not yet MSC-certified. The report offers a way forward to better shrimp fishing but does not yet define sustainable shrimp fishing – the latter is under preparation by the WWF Smart Fishing Initiative.

Guidelines for Financing

• WWF's Investment Policies program develops sustainability standards and recommendations for responsible investments. WWF’s recommendations for reforming fishery subsidies leading to overcapacity and supporting unsustainable practices.