A fine kettle of fish: the fishing industry and environmental impacts

Overexploitation or full exploitation of fishing stocks first became an important problem in the second half of the 20th century, with certain fisheries collapsing and others being exploited in an unsustainable manner. This situation led to dwindling fish landings worldwide, although final seafood demand has not suffered this decrease thanks to the growth of aquaculture. Currently, new threats to marine biota are emerging that could ultimately lead to further stress on fishing stocks. The current opinion article explores these growing threats, which include the spread of dead zones throughout coastal areas, marine litter, especially microplastics and nanoplastics that are ingested by marine organisms and ultimately by humans, or the effects of climate change on world oceans, including acidification due to carbon dioxide absorption from the atmosphere or alteration in ocean circulation due to melting glaciers. Consequently, it is critical for stakeholders in the fishing sector to gain awareness of what is at stake in the upcoming decades. In fact, not only will fisheries have to expand their approach from single-species stock assessment to ecosystem-based approaches but also other metrics will have to be brought forward to maintain competitiveness and minimize food security concerns.