Fisheries: Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM)
Sockeye (red) Salmon jumping
© WWF/Kevin SCHAFER
Ecologically unsound fishing practices threaten the existence of commercial fish stocks, damage the marine environment and, in many fisheries, result in the incidental capture and death of other marine species (known as by-catch).
These practices also place at risk the health and livelihoods of communities dependent upon local fisheries for their survival.
What WWF-Australia is doing
We are working with the fishing industry, governments, businesses and various organisations to safeguard marine ecosystems from the effects of fishing, to reduce the number of overfished fisheries, and improve the management of others.
We are working to achieve a fundamental shift in the way fisheries are managed. We promote a set of scientific principles that aim to balance the social and economic needs of human communities with the maintenance of diverse, functioning and healthy ecosystems.
Snapshot of our activities
- We are promoting the uptake of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of commercial fisheries, and MSC products on supermarket shelves, such as John West Alaskan salmon. Certification of fisheries provides consumers with the assurance that fish comes from well-managed sources and does not compromise the long-term health of the marine environment.
- We are pushing for the elimination of environmentally destructive fishing gear and the modification of existing gear to reduce by-catch. Fishing practices can result in the by-catch of sea birds, turtles, whales and dolphins, threatened fish species and even sea floor-dwelling species, as well as damaging or destroying corals.
- We are working with fisheries management authorities and the fishing industry to stop illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.
- We are promoting 'no-take' fishing zones and marine protected areas (where fisheries can be replenished) to protect fish nurseries and areas of high conservation value, such as delicate coral reefs in both tropical and cold waters.
