EXCESS IN FISHING CAPACITY!

Today we fish as if the sea does not have any limits, and we use technology that constantly allows us to overcome our abilities. It is easier to locate schools of fish through satellite radars and airplanes, arrive quickly at them, to fish in a faster way and for longer periods of time. Fish trawlers are gigantic (124 meters of length) and capable of dragging nets that would fit 16 Boeing 747 airplanes.

In the eighties the world-wide fishing capacity was double than the refloat of fish. Three quarters of this capacity correspond to the grand scale industrial fishing sector.1 There have been attempts to stop this overcapacity in the recent years but not with much effectiveness. According to FAO, a new boat can capture three times more fish than a similar boat from the ‘80s. 


1. A. Platt: Promoting sustainable fisheries, in State of the World 1998, Worldwatch Institute.