| WWF

How we do this

WWF engages legitimate, public and private sector players who are convinced that safeguarding sustainable marine ecosystems is key to provide a long-term future for our fisheries, markets and livelihoods.

We cooperate with different stakeholders to ensure that:

overfishing and illegal fishing become fully eradicated thanks to well-managed fisheries, effective monitoring & tracking systems, and good governance rules
better fishing and procurement practices are adopted and promoted throughout the whole fish supply chain
money is well invested in fisheries practices that do not harm marine ecosystems, nor deplete fish populations, and safeguards incomes for local livelhoods

WWF´s work focuses on

Our work on tuna

Bring conservation into fisheries management

The success of sustainable fisheries is based on the implementation of "ecosystem-based management" (EBM), a form of fisheries management that is increasingly gaining momentum with governments and industries because of its effectiveness. This form of management protects the marine enviroment and positively impacts the global market and communities living from fishing for their food and income.

Villagers fixing a boat in Vitshumbi fishing village on the southern shores of Lake Edward, in the

© Brent Stirton / Reportage by Getty Images / WWF

Create transparency at sea

Technological advances in global fisheries have dramatically increased pressure on fish stocks and the marine environment globally. The largest trawl nets can hold 12 jumbo jets, bottom trawls reach 2.5 km depth; the longest long-lines dangle thousands of hooks. The list goes on...

Yet the same advances that created the problem can also become the solution. For example the use of the Automatic Identification system (AIS); video and satellite surveillance to monitor and track fishing activities lead to transparent management with measurable significant conservation gains. More info here.

AIS satellite tracking of fishing operations

© WWF/Navama

Drive sustainable market incentives

Traceability, both through voluntary market engagement and legislation, provides positive incentives for sustainable fishing practices. Growing market demand for certified sustainable seafood will stimulate positive market transformation.

Credible certification

WWF supports the MSC certification scheme and its ongoing efforts to strengthen policies and procedures and improve the performance of fisheries around the world.

Company partnerships

WWF engages with producers, processors, suppliers, retailers and global brands, spurring them to purchase from environmentally responsible fisheries, to adopt and apply responsible procurement policies throughout the whole fish supply chain and to make a move towards credible certification. Sometimes, progressive, leading companies support and join WWF in its demand to governments for sustainable practices, which is the case with the EU Fisheries Reform Alliance.

Find out more...

Catch, bycatch and habitat - improved MSC standard assures retailers and consumers they can remain confident in the sustainability of the leading certified seafood.

© © WWF

October 2010, Aberdeen: during an event organised by the ‘Alliance’, Scottish Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead asks EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki for greater regional control of fisheries management and an end to wasteful fish discards.

© WWF

Invest in responsible fisheries

WWF designed the Financial Institution for the Recovery of Marine Ecosystems (FIRME) to finance the upfront costs of conservation whilst simultaneously safeguarding industry incomes during the recovery period.

Recovered fish stocks and profitability will allow recovery costs to be recouped with interest which can be fed back into the FIRME turning it into a "revolving" fund.

More info here.

More information