We know, for example, that global fisheries resources are under severe pressure. Nature is sending out clear warning signals that unsustainable fishing practices cannot continue. In total, eleven of the world's fifteen major fishing areas are in serious decline. As the FAO has pointed out, annual subsidies have contributed to the creation of an international fleet that is twice as large as fish stocks can support. We also know that the longer we wait to deal with unsustainable fishing, the more intractable the problem becomes.
Fish are the lifeblood of many coastal regions and fishing traditions tend to be deeply entrenched.
As a result, commercial fishing interests often have a voice at the policy table that is often out of proportion to their numbers, and often out of proportion to their economic weight. But every year that governments put off difficult choices, more young people enter fisheries that are already over-exploited. Every year that problems are ignored, dependency on a diminishing resource becomes more entrenched, and harder to address. Governments, working together with industry, must address unsustainable fishing to ensure that the fish resource is conserved and allowed to rebuild. And, like it or not, reducing fishing capacity must be a part of that, whether through sponsoring active retirement programs or by promoting industry self-rationalization.