WWF promotes a range of measures to reduce fishing pressure, in order to allow over-exploited fish populations to recover and ensure the maintenance of healthy populations.
Reducing fishing pressure
We are particularly working for:
- science-based fishing quotas
- comprehensive fisheries monitoring
- credible fisheries control schemes
- effective fisheries recovery plans
- protection of spawning aggregations, juvenile fish, and important fish habitats through permanent or seasonal measures such as fishing gear restrictions, fisheries closures, and no-take zones (i.e., fisheries Marine Protected Areas (MPAs))
A bundle of fish for sale at Suva Market, Fiji Islands. This species of fish congregate to spawn at a certain time of the year, and this is when the fisherman target this fish. This is very harmful for this species.
What's the problem?
52% of the world's fisheries are fully exploited, and 24% are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion. Find out more...
Sucessess
Examples of our work to reduce fishing pressure include:
• successfully advocating for seasonal closures in several European fisheries
• helping to develop and implement fish recovery plans in key commercial fisheries. These include tuna, cod, overfished species in European waters; deep-sea fisheries; and fisheries in the Southern Ocean.
• helping to create MPAs, no-take zones, and seasonal closures around important spawning and nursery sites to help depleted local fisheries recover and reduce the impact of fisheries on marine life, including in Australia, Belize, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Mozambique, Senegal, Turkey, and the US. Several of these MPAs and fisheries are managed by local communities, often using traditional practices.
More information
- Brochure: Guidelines for fisheries recovery plans
- Factsheet: The fisheries benefits of marine protected areas (pdf)
- Factsheet: Closed fishing areas (pdf)
News
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Increased commitment to sustainable tuna
Gland, Switzerland: WWF has welcomed efforts taken by the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) to increase their commitment to the sustainable ...
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WAKE UP CALL NEEDED TO SAVE EU FISHERIES FROM COLLAPSE
Brussels – Today, Fisheries Ministers debating the the future of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform overwhelmingly displayed a lack of ambition ...
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Chefs’ fish dishes winning MEPs over for the sustainable management of Europe’s fish stocks
Brussels – Today, three renowned international chefs were guests at the European Parliament (EP) kitchens where they prepared a special ...
