{"id":18898304,"date":"2023-05-30T12:51:10","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T12:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umontpellier.fr\/?p=18898304"},"modified":"2025-12-02T11:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T10:41:10","slug":"vers-une-peche-durable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umontpellier.fr\/en\/articles\/vers-une-peche-durable\/","title":{"rendered":"[LUM#18] Vers une p\u00eache durable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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 to tackle what is known as the \u201ctragedy of the commons.\u201d Luc Doyen, a researcher at the Center for Environmental Economics in Montpellier, explains.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a9 IRD \u2013 Thibaut Vergoz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Listen to this article as a podcast on your favorite platform<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

85 million metric tons. That is the amount of fish caught at sea in 2018, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations<\/a>. This figure has remained stagnant for several decades, despite increasing fishing pressure. The cause: declining marine biodiversity. \u201c35% of fish stocks are considered overexploited, meaning that the quantities of fish caught do not allow the population to replenish itself,\u201d<\/em> notes Luc Doyen, an economist at CEE-M<\/a>*.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we catch enough fish to feed a rapidly growing global population and support the fishing industry, while preserving marine ecosystems and biodiversity? \u201cOne idea is to aim for maximum sustainable yield by harvesting the \u2018surplus\u2019 of fish without affecting the resource\u2019s viability, maintaining it in equilibrium at stable levels. But to do this, there are three dimensions\u2014ecological, economic, and social\u2014that are in tension with one another and must be reconciled<\/em>, \u201d<\/em> explains the CNRS researcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fish War<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because at sea, fish generally belong to no one, and that is precisely what makes regulating fishing so complicated. \u201cIn economics, this is called the tragedy of the commons: if fish stocks are freely accessible common resources, 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.\u201d The result <\/em>: a veritable \u201cwar for fish\u201d in which fishermen have every incentive to catch as much as possible as quickly as possible, \u201cand where those with the most resources catch the most.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To prevent this \u201cfish war\u201d from <\/em>depleting the oceans, a policy to regulate access to the resource is essential. \u201cThe scientific tools for public policy aimed at regulating fishing at the European level emerged in the 1950s<\/em>, \u201d<\/em> explains the bioeconomy specialist. The CFP, or Common Fisheries Policy<\/a>, sets catch quotas based on scientific studies of the status of fish species and their reproduction. These quotas, which apply to all European waters, are then allocated among the countries and the various fishing organizations involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while coastal countries are responsible for managing fisheries within their exclusive economic zones\u2014which extend up to approximately 370 kilometers from the coast\u2014beyond that point, that is, on the high seas, freedom of fishing prevails. \u201cIn these unregulated areas, people do as they 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.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quota Market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is because the fishing industry involves a wide variety of stakeholders\u2014fishermen, NGOs, consumers, tourists\u2014who do not all see eye to eye. \u201cPublic policy is therefore a crucial tool for preserving resources, and the environmental economy plays a major\u2014and even pioneering\u2014role in this regard. Economics is not detached from reality; it provides concepts and evaluation methods to formulate recommendations, as well as tools to implement strategies and objectives.\u201d<\/em> Several types of tools derived from economic research have thus been proposed to address this tragedy of the commons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regulatory instruments, including: \u201csuch as fishing quotas or protected areas, which are intended to limit access to resources.\u201d<\/em> To complement these measures, there are also financial instruments, such as various taxes and subsidies, including taxes on fish landings and fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnother important tool involves fishing quota markets,\u201d<\/em> explains Luc Doyen. \u201cEach 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 won\u2019t use all of his, they can transfer the quota through a market with a quota price, similar to the European Union\u2019s Emissions Trading System<\/em>, \u201d<\/em> explains the economist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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, \u201cit nevertheless provides flexibility and thus helps improve coordination among stakeholders and the overall effectiveness of regulation, which contributes to more sustainable management of fishery resources,\u201d<\/em> argues Luc Doyen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eco-labels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>. \u201cSuch approaches help move toward sustainable food systems by integrating producers, consumers, and marine resources\u2014from fish to fork.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a context where it is \u201cnot always easy to bring ecologists and economists together<\/em>, \u201d<\/em> Luc Doyen highlights the need for an interdisciplinary approach. \u201cEnvironmental economics and the bioeconomy offer important insights, and the proposed resource management tools 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.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Must-See:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Luc Doyen's lecture on the topic \"Does Economics Allow Us to Rethink Ecology?\" with Cap Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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