When we think of fish, many tend to imagine a special dinner out or perhaps a nice dinner at home with a favorite recipe. Most do not think about slavery, overfishing, drug smuggling, murder, and underpaid and overworked fishers, yet that is the reality. Over 3 billion people rely on seafood for a significant part of their diet. For many, fishing is not a luxury or sport, and for the communities that rely on fish for sustenance, the sustainability of fish in their waters is critical to the survival of their people and their culture.
Yet managing fishing activities is one of the most complex regulatory global issues and involves politics, economics, social structures and human rights, sustainability, and the technology innovations that are aiming to change an industry.
In 2020 as a Masters of Foresight student at the University of Houston, I created a paper called “The Future of Sustainability in Pacific Pelagic Fisheries” which won first place in the APF student awards. Since then I have continued my research and consulted with The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, and many national fisheries organizations.
I am working on a new paper I hope to release in 2024 on my updated findings and the complex realities of the industry and why change is so difficult. This paper will include first hand experience with many of these organizations and fishers who are often out at sea for months at a time. The paper will focus not just on possible futures, but direct actions and recommendations that stakeholders in the industry can take to create better futures.