Looking at the fishing industry as an example of how sustainable practices can help people, planet, and profit.
While global overfishing is still an enormous problem, many countries, including The United States, Iceland and New Zealand, have enacted regulations that have drastically decreased overfishing. In the US, 84% of fish stocks are no longer overfished.
Many of these areas have implemented a catch share system. In this system, scientists determine how many fish can be sustainably caught per year. This number is then divided up among the fisherfolk. Each fisher’s share is an asset and an equity that they can pass on to their kids. This helps to sustain the environment and the fisher’s business, all at the same time.
“Sustainable fishing has proven to be economically beneficial — as stocks recover in regulated areas there are more jobs in the fishing industry, and more fish, meaning more income, for both the present and the future.”
