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OUR FOCUS

Sustainable Fisheries

More than 3 billion people around the world rely on seafood as their main source of protein. Now more than ever, developing Sustainable Fisheries are crucial to ensure food security and economic prosperity.

At the Waitt Institute, our team collaborates with government partners to assess the current state of fisheries and develop strategies for sustainable management. We aim to build fisheries that balance economic prosperity with environmental protection and stewardship.

Sustainable Fisheries refers to the practice of managing fishing activities in a way that respects habitats, increases catch value, protects stock, and supports fishers as well as other ocean livelihoods.

 

It means leaving enough fish in the ocean, respecting habitats, and ensuring people who depend on fishing can maintain their livelihoods.

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BY THE NUMBERS

61.8 million people around the world are employed by fisheries and aquaculture

Global aquaculture produces 130.9 million tonnes of seafood and other aquatic products annually

92.3 million tonnes of aquatic animals are commercially caught annually

WHAT WE OFFER

Stakeholder engagement

Ecosystem management and protection

Technology integration

Fisheries management

Bioeconomic modeling

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Fisheries policy development

Responsible seafood markets

Transition fisheries assistance strategy

OUR APPROACH

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Country Scoping

Fisheries Charactarization

Fisheries Goals & Objectives

Fisheries Assessment

Fisheries Monitoring 

OUR ROLE

A sustainable fishery supports the biological integrity of the exploited populations and operates with ecological responsibility, considering the health of fisheries stocks, the condition of marine ecosystems, and the socio-economic realities faced by fishing communities and national economies. It emphasizes responsible fishing techniques and efficient practices that minimize ecological impact and ensure that fisheries populations remain biologically healthy. This approach values both finfish and shellfish and the communities that rely upon these resources for their livelihoods by ethically and holistically supporting the broader community's needs.

The world faces several major global crises, including fisheries, climate, and food security. To address these challenges, the Sustainable Fisheries team blends conservation science with sustainable fisheries management and collaborates with government partners, fishing communities, and relevant stakeholders to asses the current state of fisheries and develop strategies for managing them responsibly and sustainably.

We support governments in building fisheries that balance economic prosperity with environmental protection.

RECENT WORK

Fiji's economy, employment, and food security are heavily reliant on its fisheries, which include valuable offshore tuna longline operations, more localized inshore fishing crucial for domestic consumption, and a small but developing aquaculture sector.

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FISHERIES MONITORING APP PILOT 2024

The Sustainable Fisheries team piloted a mobile fisheries app and an online dashboard for fisheries e-reporting and e-monitoring in Chuuk (FSM) and across Bermuda.

The Maldives is home to one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world. Maldivians have been practicing pole and line fishing, an art of catching one fish at a time, to sustain their marine resources for centuries. Our team conducted a fisheries characterization study to better understand the current state of fisheries to help plan for the nation’s future prosperity.

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Fisheries play an integral role in the economy, food security, and maritime tradition of Federated States of Micronesia and its people. We conducted a fisheries characterization study to support the government in improving the understanding of the nation’s fisheries, identify key objectives, and highlight potential opportunities to improve Sustainable Fisheries.

Marine biodiversity sustains a range of

ecosystem services that contribute

substantially to the wealth and general

well-being of people in the Azores.

The Azores Economic Valuation Study identifies the most important services provided by the marine ecosystems and quantifies their economic value.

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Recent Work

OUR TEAM

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DR. PABLO GRANADOS-DIESELDORFF

Sustainable Fisheries Director

Marine fisheries conservation and management expert with 20+ years experience government, industry, academia, and civil society.

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DR. FELIPE CARVALHO

Sustainable Fisheries Manager

Marine scientist with expertise in data-poor stock assessments and sustainable fisheries management.

OUR PARTNERS

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LINKS AND RESOURCES

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The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture

2024 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

1995 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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Guide to Fisheries Science and Stock Assessments

2009 | Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

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Adaptive Management of Fisheries in Response to Climate Change

2001 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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A Fishery Manager's Guidebook

2009 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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Managing Small-Scale Fisheries: Alternative Directions and Methods

2001 | International Development Research Centre

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Supporting science-based conservation and management of marine resources in Blue Prosperity Coalition sites

emLab, UC Santa Barbra

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Tuna-org

Framework for sharing information from Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs)

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