Sustainable fisheries management in a changing climate

Good fisheries management is fundamental to every aspect of fisheries sector performance: economic, social and environmental. Evidence suggests that fisheries management works: well-managed fisheries have been shown to be more sustainable, productive and profitable. Conversely, ineffective fisheries management can lead to overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) fishing – reducing fish stock abundance below levels that allow for optimal productivity, and, in extreme cases, to levels from which fish stocks may never recover. But is the job being done? This policy brief analyses country-specific data on the status of harvested fish stocks and on the measures in place to manage commercially important fisheries. The brief also examines how fisheries managers’ roles are becoming more important and complex due to climate change given its impacts on ocean conditions and increasing uncertainty on how they might affect specific fish stocks and fisheries.