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NEWS
From little fish, big fish grow
*IGFA explains why the supertrawlers must be banned for good. Have your say online...Some of the world’s largest fisheries are for small, short-lived species such as anchovies and sardines. While some of these fish are consumed directly by humans, most of these fisheries reduce their catch to fish and animal feed and fish oil for everything from vitamins to cosmetics.
Some of these species are managed and have sufficient data to assess the health of stocks and determine how much fish can be harvested. Others have little to no data, making sustainable management difficult.
However, these small fish also have another important role in nature. They represent a critical link in ocean foodwebs because they feed on plankton, which produce energy from the sun, and they transfer this energy to seabirds, marine mammals, and larger fish such as tuna, salmon and marlin.
As such, fisheries managers need to consider not only how many of these “forage fish” can be extracted from the ocean for human use, but also how many fish need to be left in the water as food for other fish.
New and emerging science has demonstrated that these little fish have a big impact. One study reported that, of all the ecosystems put under the 'microscope', 75 per cent had at least one key predator species whose diet consisted of at least 50 per cent or more of forage fish. And some 29 per cent of the ecosystems studied had at least one major predator that had a diet that consisted of 75 per cent or more of forage fish species.
Therefore, when forage-fish stocks decline from overfishing so do predatory species that feed heavily on them.
Globally, commercial forage fish fisheries have an economic impact of US$5.6 billion dollars, annually. However, the supportive value of forage fish — or their subsequent benefit to larger, commercially important fish when left in the water — is $11.3 billion.
In other words, forage fish have a higher economic value when left in the water as forage for larger predators. We have no idea what their economic contribution is to important recreational fisheries, says the International Game Fishing Assciation (IGFA), who authored most of this article.
But as the IGFA says it's time that these little fish were recognised for the big impact that they have on other recreational and commercially important species.
Fisheries managers need to take into consideration their natural role in marine ecosystems to ensure that we are not robbing the ocean of food for its larger predatory species.
IGFA has begun working with a number of other organisations to highlight new science on forage fish and to elevate their importance to fisheries managers so that they can be better conserved and managed.
Meantime, Australia fisheries managers need to look at the big picture when considering the future and future impact of super trawlers in Australian waters. Another foreign factory trawler is being proposed to enter
Australian fisheries, again without public consultation. Be informed, sign the petition and have your say at http://www.stopthetrawler.net.
Australian fisheries, again without public consultation. Be informed, sign the petition and have your say at http://www.stopthetrawler.net.
(*Published with thanks to www.igfa.org, in the interests of sustainable global fishing, and the future of sport and game fishing.)
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Written byBoatsales Staff
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