What does sustainable fishery management aim to achieve?

Sustainable fishery management primarily aims to maintain healthy fish populations and ecosystems. This approach recognizes that fish populations must be managed in a way that supports not only the target species but also the broader marine environment, which includes the habitats and other species interconnected in the ecosystem.

Healthy fish populations ensure that species do not become overfished, which can lead to depletion and even extinction, threatening the overall balance of marine ecosystems. By focusing on ecological health, sustainable fishery management also takes into account the impacts of fishing practices on habitat degradation and biodiversity. This holistic perspective is essential in fostering resilience in marine environments, allowing for continued fishing activities that are economically viable while also being ecologically responsible.

In contrast, maximizing catches without regard to ecological impact can lead to overfishing and the collapse of fish stocks, while developing new fishing markets at all costs overlooks sustainability and may exploit resources in a way that is harmful to ecosystems. Similarly, the idea of increasing fish populations solely for commercial exploitation does not take into account the balance required for healthy ecosystems, which is a core principle of sustainability.