Hydrosphere Contents

5. Aquatic Habitats

Millions of tonnes of unwanted 'bycatch' fish is caught, killed and dumped back into the sea every year, because of unselective fishing practices

Aquatic habitats

Bycatch, or incidental catch, is a world wide problem causing not only the depletion of many major fish stocks, but also of many other marine species, including marine mammals and seabirds. Often bycatch consists of young, immature fish of commercially valuable species, which, if left alive in the sea would mature to replenish the stock.

Estimates for bycatch vary anything between 6.8 million tonnes to 27 million tonnes of fish being discarded per year. The exact figure is hard to pin down, as it is thought that there is a huge discrepancy between reported landed bycatch  and the proportion of bycatch that is simply discarded overboard whilst out at sea.

In order to achieve world wide sustainable fishing, the waste and damage caused through unselective fishing must cease. Imposing selective fishing regulations, and developing new selective technologies can only help towards sustainable fishing. The most important requirement is a total reduction in world wide fishing. Excessive fishing, no matter how selective, can lead to the damage of the marine environment, and a long term decrease in catch.

How can incidental bycatch by eliminated in fishing practices?