[LUM#18] Toward Sustainable Fishing
How can we balance the exploitation and conservation of fishery resources? This is the main challenge facing the fishing industry today. To help address this challenge, bioeconomists are bringing valuable tools to the table that can help tackle what is known as the “tragedy of the commons.” Luc Doyen, a researcher at the Center for Environmental Economics in Montpellier, explains.
85 million tons. That is the amount of fish caught at sea in 2018, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This figure has remained stagnant for several decades, despite increasing fishing pressure. The cause: declining marine biodiversity. “35% of stocks are considered overexploited, meaning that the quantities of fish caught do not allow the population to replenish itself,” notes Luc Doyen, an economist at CEE-M*.
How can we catch enough fish to feed a rapidly growing global population and support the fishing industry, while preserving marine ecosystems and biodiversity? “One idea is to aim for maximum sustainable yield by harvesting the ‘surplus’ of fish without compromising the resource’s viability, maintaining it at a steady equilibrium. But to achieve this, there are three dimensions—ecological, economic, and social—that come into conflict and must be reconciled, ” explains the CNRS researcher.
Fish War
Because at sea, fish generally belong to no one, and that is precisely what makes regulating fishing so complicated. “In economics, this is called the tragedy of the commons: if fish stocks are freely accessible common property, then anyone can fish them. But a fish caught by one fisherman is no longer available to other fishermen or for the future reproduction of the stock.” The result : a veritable war over fish, where fishermen have every incentive to catch as much as possible as quickly as possible, “and where those with the most resources fish the most.”
To prevent this “fish war” from depleting the oceans, a policy regulating access to the resource is essential. “The scientific tools of public policy aimed at regulating fishing at the European level emerged in the 1950s, ” explains the bioeconomics specialist. The CFP, the Common Fisheries Policy, sets catch quotas based on scientific studies of the status of species and their reproduction. These quotas, which apply to all European waters, are then allocated among the countries and the various fishing organizations involved.
But while coastal countries are responsible for managing fisheries within their exclusive economic zones—which extend up to about 370 kilometers from the coast—beyond that point, that is, on the high seas, the freedom to fish prevails. “In these unregulated zones, we can do as we please, and to prevent the damage caused by the race for fish, we need a policy of coordination and cooperation among stakeholders at the supranational level.”
Quota market
Because the fishing industry involves a wide variety of stakeholders—fishermen, NGOs, consumers, tourists—who do not all see eye to eye. “Public policy is therefore a key lever for preserving resources, and the contribution of environmental economics is both significant and pioneering in this regard. Economics is not detached from reality; here, it provides concepts and evaluation methods to establish recommendations, as well as tools to implement strategies and objectives.” Several types of tools derived from economic research have thus been proposed to address this tragedy of the commons.
Regulatory measures, such as: “for example, fishing quotas or protected areas, which are designed to limit access to resources.” To complement these measures, there are also financial instruments, including various taxes and subsidies, such as taxes on fish landings or fuel.
“Another important tool involves fishing quota markets,” explains Luc Doyen. “Each fisherman or fishing organization receives an initial quota for a given species, based, for example, on their fishing history. “But if one fisherman wants to catch more than his initial quota and another isn’t going to use all of his, they can transfer quotas via a market with a quota price, similar to the EU Emissions Trading System, ” explains the economist.
These fishing quota markets are widely used in New Zealand, but in Europe, a barter system currently prevails. While this quota transferability system is far from being universally accepted among all stakeholders in the industry, “it nevertheless provides flexibility and thus improves coordination among stakeholders and the overall effectiveness of regulation, which supports more sustainable management of fishery resources,” argues Luc Doyen.
Eco-labels
Other tools proposed by economists include eco-labels, which are intended to assure consumers that the fish they buy has been caught responsibly; the best-known of these is the MSC sustainable fishing label. “Such approaches help move toward sustainable food systems by integrating producers, consumers, and marine resources—from fish to fork.”
In a context where it is “not always easy to bring environmentalists and economists together, ” Luc Doyen emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. “Environmental economics and the bioeconomy offer important insights, and the resource management tools proposed are proving effective in this sustainable approach to fisheries. The proof: since 2013, we have seen an overall improvement in European fish stocks. This is not the time for doomsday scenarios, but many challenges remain to be addressed in order to achieve a sustainable, resilient, and ecosystem-based approach to marine fisheries.”
Must-See:
Luc Doyen’s lecture on the topic “Does economics allow us to rethink ecology?” with Cap Sciences.
*CEE-M (UM, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro)
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