Ecosystem-based fisheries management requires a change to the selective fishing philosophy

TLDR

Many fish stocks are overexploited and collapsing, prompting a shift toward ecosystem‑based fisheries management that promotes selective fishing to reduce bycatch, yet recent research indicates that such selectivity can also harm biodiversity and ecosystem function. The study proposes a balanced exploitation strategy to mitigate ecological impacts while sustaining fisheries. Balanced exploitation involves selectively reducing harvest rates on specific species or groups—using the 6‑S framework—to protect vulnerable ecosystem components. The authors find that selective fishing can disrupt biodiversity and ecosystem function, but balanced exploitation can preserve ecosystem health while potentially enhancing societal benefits.

Abstract

Globally, many fish species are overexploited, and many stocks have collapsed. This crisis, along with increasing concerns over flow-on effects on ecosystems, has caused a reevaluation of traditional fisheries management practices, and a new ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) paradigm has emerged. As part of this approach, selective fishing is widely encouraged in the belief that nonselective fishing has many adverse impacts. In particular, incidental bycatch is seen as wasteful and a negative feature of fishing, and methods to reduce bycatch are implemented in many fisheries. However, recent advances in fishery science and ecology suggest that a selective approach may also result in undesirable impacts both to fisheries and marine ecosystems. Selective fishing applies one or more of the “6-S” selections: species, stock, size, sex, season, and space. However, selective fishing alters biodiversity, which in turn changes ecosystem functioning and may affect fisheries production, hindering rather than helping achieve the goals of EBFM. We argue here that a “balanced exploitation” approach might alleviate many of the ecological effects of fishing by avoiding intensive removal of particular components of the ecosystem, while still supporting sustainable fisheries. This concept may require reducing exploitation rates on certain target species or groups to protect vulnerable components of the ecosystem. Benefits to society could be maintained or even increased because a greater proportion of the entire suite of harvested species is used.