The sea needs a break!

Posted on 12 August 2024

If we don't change our consumer habits, instead of a bountiful fish dinner, we might be faced with - stone soup

The development of fishing technology and the increase in demand for seafood over the past few decades brought vast marine expanses, considered inexhaustible sources of food for centuries, to the brink of collapse. WWF warns that fish populations are drastically declining due to overfishing, plastic pollution, climate change and other harmful human practices.

Through its new communication campaign "The Sea Needs a Vacation, Too", WWF draws attention to the responsibility of consumers when choosing seafood products. Not all food from the sea is the same. In addition to differences in taste and quality, they also differ in their impact on the sea and the marine ecosystem. In a time when most fish stocks are overfished, choosing more sustainable seafood products can make a big difference.

"The sea is not a supermarket where 'goods' continuously arrive in some invisible magical way and the shelves are always full without us knowing how. The sea is a delicate living organism, an ecosystem, with its own rules and needs that must be respected to live, be in good condition, and allow people to live off it," emphasizes Hrvoje Čeprnja from WWF Adria.

Even though the situation beneath the sea's surface is alarming, The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2023 report brings positive news. The report notes a 15 percent reduction in overfishing during the past year, which is a significant improvement and a step forward towards sustainable fishing. This reduction follows a continuous trend of decreasing fishing pressure, which has been reduced by a total of 31 percent since 2012.

"These figures are encouraging and serve as additional motivation to increase joint efforts in establishing ecological balance and stability of fishing resources in the Mediterranean," says Čeprnja. "If we don't continue on this path, it could happen within our lifetime that there won't be enough seafood for peoples' consumption. The shortage of fish is already reflected in the market, making it unaffordable for many," he adds.

On the WWF Adria website, as part of the campaign, you can find simple recommendations for more sustainable seafood choices. Consumers are often overwhelmed with too much information, so the WWF highlighted a few recommendations that are easy for consumers to follow.

The WWF is dedicated to protecting the seas worldwide. To ensure sustainable management of marine resources, WWF experts work closely with fishers, local and European institutions, and other non-governmental organizations.

WWF is working to reverse the negative trend of declining fish populations by establishing "no-take zones" and promoting more selective fishing tools so that both the sea and fish can recover. One of the main goals is to support fishers and policymakers in their efforts to transition to sustainable fishing practices and develop alternative income sources for coastal communities, such as fishing tourism.

Sustainable seafood

The sea needs a break!

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