The future of fish

Abstract

Recently, the global state of marine fisheries and its effects on ecosystems have received much scientific (and public) scrutiny. There is little doubt that global limits to exploitation have been reached and that recovery of depleted stocks must become a cornerstone of fisheries management. Yet, current trends appear to be diverging between well-assessed regions showing stabilization of fish biomass and other regions continuing to decline. This divergence can be explained by improved controls on exploitation rates in several wealthy countries, but low management capacity elsewhere. Here, we identify an urgent need to direct priorities towards 'fisheries-conservation hotspots' of increasing exploitation rates, high biodiversity, and poor management capacity, and conclude that the future of fish depends, at least in part, on redoubling science, co-management and conservation efforts in those regions.