Marine biologists are optimising fishing practices in Europe

In Croatia, oceanologists are working alongside village fishermen in Zagreb to optimise their fishing practices in terms of profit and sustainability.

An in-depth analysis of catch type and fishing gear is informing academics on which mesh and cage sizes are best to use. When implemented, this allows only animals of full size to be caught, resulting in less sorting time for fishermen and better payout on the market.

In short, using the right gear allows fishermen to work smarter, not harder.

Not only can small-scale fishermen profit more from sustainable catches, but new nets leave young animals behind to continue repopulating the species. When accidentally caught, appropriate nets also increase the animal’s chances of survival.

Smarter, sustainable fishing practices like those unfolding in the Mediterranean will serve to benefit people and the planet. However, the cost of new fishing gear means it is not always a cheap switch.

For now, small-scale fishers rely on financial assistance from the European programmes run by the World Wildlife Foundation’s Mediterranean Program Office.

It’s positive news that support is available, but the hope is that success stories like those in Croatia will attract the attention of other international NGOs. The WWF points out that large-scale fisheries too often dominate government policy debates.

In order to achieve significant change, they believe that collaboration between fishers, scientists, NGOs and policy-makers is absolutely necessary.

As always, the same could be said for other problems that intersect socially, financially, and environmentally. Let’s hope that we see more of this cohesion in the future.