Sustainable solutions

WWF-UK wants to see the wasting of fish greatly reduced. One method to achieve this goal is to invest in improved technology, such as more selective, “smart” fishing gear that reduces the chance of bycatch.

What WWF is doing

WWF and Seafish (the Sea Fish Industry Authority) have joined forces to launch a UK prize under WWF's International Smart Gear Competition, which seeks new designs for fishing gear to minimise marine bycatch. The Smart Gear competition attempts to find innovative ways and clever designs to reduce this globally and make a significant contribution to a healthier marine environment. The next Smart Gear Competition is due to be held in 2009, with a deadline of 30 June.

WWF-UK is calling for a variety of actions in order to reduce the bycatch and discard problems in Europe. These include:

• Introduction of mandatory requirements to use selective gear in areas where there are high levels of bycatch to effectively catch targeted species only
• Substitute non-selective fishing gears – such as bottom trawls – with more selective gear such as Danish seines or longlines
• Analysis of the issue in our waters and commitment by politicians to act on them
• Implement annual bycatch limits and quotas
• Introduce fishery observer schemes across the fisheries with high levels of bycatch in the EU
• Better fisheries management which adheres to scientific advice and precautionary limits
• The establishment of long-term management plans for all commercial fisheries in EU waters

Common Fishery Policy Reform
WWF's priorities for the Common Fisheries Policy Reform include improving Governance by bringing management down to the lowest practicable level and reforming the Regional advisory Councils into bodies which are capable of delivering management functions. As part of improved Governance, we would like to see Rights-based Management explicitly incorporated into policy to achieve a reduction in capacity and as a mechanism to improve stewardship in fisheries. Our second priority is for the reformed policy to require all fisheries to develop long-term management plans which integrate with an overall regional plan for fisheries. These plans would enable fisheries to deliver ecosystem-based management objectives.

End of the Line Film
A new film, The End of the Line , hit our cinema screens on 8 June 2009 - the first major feature-length documentary to address the impact of overfishing on the world's oceans. In the film, an alarming claim that if we continue fishing as we are now, we will see the end of most seafood by 2048. WWF were involved with the production of the film, which was based on the book by Charles Clover, The End of the Line. 

Aquaculture Dialogues
The Aquaculture Dialogues are a series of species-specific roundtables initiated by WWF to develop standards for responsible aquaculture. The Dialogues are composed of producers, buyers, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders. Once finalised, the standards will minimise the environmental and social impacts responsible for 70 to 80 percent of the problems caused by aquaculture. The standards will be used as the basis for an aquaculture eco-label and given to an existing or new certification entity to manage. They will be the only measurable, science-based standards for aquaculture products. Since work commenced in 1999, the Dialogue groups have identified 12 species for review - selections based on their degree of impact on the environment and society, their market value, and the extent to which they are traded internationally. To date, discussions have focused on tilapia, salmon, molluscs, shrimp, abalone, pangasius and catfish.

The aquaculture standards will:

• Be built on a consensus about the key impacts;
• Identify and support the adoption or adaptation of better management practices that significantly reduce or eliminate those impacts;
• Determine globally acceptable performance levels;
• Contribute to global shifts in performance within an industry.