Fish stocks and sustainability
Environment · Last reviewed 2026-08-10
A stock is not a species, sustainability is a property of a stock and a fishery together, and both facts are routinely lost in the way this is usually discussed.
The single most useful thing to understand about fisheries sustainability is that the unit of management is the STOCK, not the species. A stock is a population that is reproductively self-contained enough to be assessed and managed on its own, and different stocks of the same species can be in completely different conditions. 'Is cod sustainable?' is not a question that has an answer. 'Is this stock of cod, caught by this gear, at this level of effort, sustainable?' is.
Assessment works by estimating how many fish there are, how fast they reproduce, and how many are being removed, and then advising a catch level that leaves the population able to reproduce itself. That sounds tidier than it is: the estimates carry real uncertainty, the data come partly from the fishery being assessed, and the advice is then a starting point for a negotiation between the countries with an interest.
The historical lesson everybody cites is the collapse of the Newfoundland northern cod stock, and the reason it is cited so much is that it demonstrates several failure modes at once — over-optimistic assessment, effort that continued to rise as catch per unit effort fell, and a fishery whose economic and social weight made restraint politically extremely difficult.
What is genuinely encouraging is that stocks do recover when fishing pressure is reduced sufficiently and for long enough. Several North Atlantic stocks have. That is not a reason for complacency; it is the reason management is worth doing.
Why the same species gets different sustainability ratings
Consumer guides frequently rate the same species differently depending on where and how it was caught, and that looks inconsistent until you understand what is being rated. The rating is not of the fish; it is of a combination of a stock, a gear and a management regime.
So a species can be well-managed and abundant in one area and depleted in another, and it can be caught by a method with very low environmental impact in one fishery and a high one in another. All four combinations exist for several common species simultaneously.
This matters for anglers in a specific way. Recreational catch is a real component of removals for some species — bass being the clearest European example — and it is included in assessments where it is significant. That is why recreational retention rules for some sea species change, sometimes substantially, and why they are among the rules FishingHQ most emphatically declines to state: they are exactly the kind of thing that varies and moves.
Authoritative guidance
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That advice is issued at stock level, that recreational removals are accounted for in some assessments, and that stock status varies substantially within a species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That sustainability ratings are assigned to combinations of stock, gear and management rather than to species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where to go next
Species affected
- Atlantic bluefin tunaThe most consequential fisheries story of the last fifty years, and one of very few unambiguous recoveries at that scale — a direct rebuttal to the idea that nothing can be done.
Atlantic codCod is the standard worked example of stock collapse in fisheries science, and the reason is worth knowing rather than merely citing.
Atlantic halibutLate-maturing, enormous and long-lived — the exact profile that collapses under fishing pressure and does not bounce back. The North Atlantic history is the demonstration.
Atlantic salmonMarine survival has fallen sharply over recent decades and several populations are at historically low levels.
Atlantic tarponAssessed as Vulnerable, slow-growing and very long-lived, and dependent on shallow coastal nursery habitat that coastal development removes independently of any fishing.- Beluga sturgeonThe clearest case in European fresh water of a stock that passed the point of recovery on a human timescale. Late maturity, dammed migration routes and a fishery driven by the value of the roe compounded: by the time the shortage was visible in the catch, decades of recruitment had already been removed. Restocking now releases hatchery juveniles, which means a small fish in the lower Danube may not be a wild-spawned one.
- Blacktip reef sharkTwo to four pups after a gestation approaching a year, late maturity, and strong site fidelity that prevents recolonisation — so a fished-out reef is not restocked from the reef next door. Assessed as Vulnerable.
- Blonde rayAssessed as Near Threatened. Slow growth, late maturity and a modest number of large slow-developing eggs, on a species whose distribution is patchier than the thornback's.
20 more
- Bonefish Fish
- Bull shark Fish
- Caribbean spiny lobster Fish
- Common dentex Fish
- Common octopus Fish
- Corkwing wrasse Fish
- Deccan mahseer Fish
- Dusky kob Fish
- European eel Fish
- Flapper skate Fish
- Gag grouper Fish
- Golden dorado Fish
- Golden mahseer Fish
- Murray cod Fish
- Native oyster Fish
- Small-eyed ray Fish
- Spotted eagle ray Fish
- Spurdog Fish
- Taimen Fish
- Tope Fish
What these connections rest on (28)
Authoritative guidance — 6 connections
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Atlantic bluefin tuna
A stock-status claim held to an authoritative standard, resting on international assessment.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That highly migratory Atlantic stocks including bluefin tuna are assessed through international scientific advice feeding management measures.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That stock assessments distinguish recovering stocks from depleted ones and that management measures are the mechanism.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Atlantic cod
Cod stock status is assessed individually and varies substantially between areas.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That cod are assessed and managed as separate stocks with very different statuses.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The scientific basis of cod stock assessment in UK waters.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Atlantic halibut
A conservation claim held to an authoritative standard, resting on documented life history and assessment.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That North Atlantic stocks are assessed through international scientific advice and that depleted stocks with late maturity recover slowly.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That longevity, late maturity and large maximum size are material to whether a stock can sustain harvest.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Atlantic salmon
Documented decline in marine survival and in stock status across much of the range.
- NASCO conservation and management of North Atlantic salmon — North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The documented decline in Atlantic salmon marine survival and in multi-sea-winter returns.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That salmon stocks are assessed individually and that many are below reference points.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
European eel
A conservation claim held to an authoritative standard, resting on international assessment.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That the European eel stock is assessed internationally and that recruitment has declined severely from historical levels.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Freshwater Fishes of the British Isles — HarperCollins (New Naturalist 75), 1992 (Reference work)Relied on for: The life history and decline of Anguilla anguilla in European waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Gag grouper
A conservation claim resting on documented reproductive biology, held to an authoritative standard.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That protogynous hermaphroditism in Mycteroperca means the male component of a population is derived entirely from large old females.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That sex-change life history and aggregating spawning are material to whether a stock can sustain harvest.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Scientific evidence — 22 connections
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Atlantic tarpon
A conservation claim resting on an assessment and on documented life history.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The IUCN Red List category for Megalops atlanticus — Vulnerable, assessed 12 June 2018 — as republished by FishBase, together with the species' habitat use of estuaries and mangrove-lined lagoons.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That longevity, slow growth and dependence on restricted nursery habitat are material to whether a stock can sustain harvest.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Beluga sturgeon
Written because this species is the worked example the environment record needs — the case where every mechanism it describes operated at once on a fish that could not absorb any of them.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation assessments of the sturgeons of the Black Sea and Danube basin, the threats recorded against them, and the basis for the extinction-risk statements made.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The European Environment Agency's assessments of Europe's waters, seas and coasts — European Environment Agency, Copenhagen (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of river continuity, barriers to migration and hydromorphological pressure in the Danube basin.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Blacktip reef shark
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the assessment behind it, including the reproductive and habitat factors driving it.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible capture, including selectivity, the treatment of berried and undersized animals, and the precautionary approach.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Blonde ray
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the population assessment behind it for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine fisheries science: survey data, distribution and elasmobranch stock monitoring in UK waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Bonefish
A conservation claim held to a scientific standard because it rests on an assessment and on life-history traits rather than on sentiment.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The IUCN Red List category for Albula vulpes as republished with its assessment date, and the species' life history.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That longevity, slow growth and aggregation spawning are material to sustainability assessment.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Bull shark
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the assessment behind it, including the reproductive and habitat factors driving it.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible capture, including selectivity, the treatment of berried and undersized animals, and the precautionary approach.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Caribbean spiny lobster
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the assessment behind it, including the reproductive and habitat factors driving it.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible capture, including selectivity, the treatment of berried and undersized animals, and the precautionary approach.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Common dentex
A conservation claim resting on an assessment republished with its date.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The IUCN Red List category for Dentex dentex — Vulnerable, assessed 17 August 2009 — as republished by FishBase.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That stock status is assessed through scientific advice processes feeding management.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Common octopus
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the assessment behind it, including the reproductive and habitat factors driving it.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible capture, including selectivity, the treatment of berried and undersized animals, and the precautionary approach.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Corkwing wrasse
An environmental effect attached to the thing that causes it, resting on an authoritative source rather than on advocacy.
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK inshore fisheries science including the wrasse cleaner-fish fishery, its scale and the assessment work that has followed it.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Scientific advice on north-east Atlantic inshore fisheries and their assessment.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Deccan mahseer
A species joined to the environmental issue it is a worked example of. `explained_by` cannot carry these — its object must be a `concept` and these are `environment` records — and the distinction is real rather than bureaucratic: an environmental issue is something a species CAUSES or is subject to, not a mechanism that explains it.
- Check Clean Dry — biosecurity guidance for water users — GB Non-native Species Secretariat (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Biosecurity guidance for water users and the pathways by which aquatic non-native species are moved between catchments.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation assessment and recorded threats, including the impact of introduced species on native populations.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Dusky kob
A conservation claim resting on a republished assessment and on documented life history, and one the catalogue states plainly rather than softening.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The IUCN Red List category for Argyrosomus japonicus — Endangered, assessed 26 September 2018 — as republished by FishBase, with juveniles recruiting exclusively to estuaries and a trophic level of about 4.5.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That longevity, late maturity and dependence on restricted nursery habitat are material to whether a stock can sustain harvest.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Flapper skate
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the population assessment behind it for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine fisheries science: survey data, distribution and elasmobranch stock monitoring in UK waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Golden dorado
A conservation claim resting on documented life history rather than on advocacy.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That Salminus brasiliensis is potamodromous, migrating within river systems.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- NASCO conservation and management of North Atlantic salmon — North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: That migratory fish depend on river connectivity and that barriers to passage are a recognised management concern.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Golden mahseer
A conservation claim resting on a republished assessment and on the source's own statement about the fishery's condition.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The IUCN Red List category for Tor putitora — Endangered, assessed 5 August 2018 — as republished by FishBase, together with the statement that the species faces serious threats from overharvesting and habitat degradation with specimens exceeding 30 cm and 5 kg rarely caught.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Murray cod
A conservation claim resting on verified longevity and habitat requirement.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That Maccullochella peelii has a maximum reported age of 48 years and requires shelter from rocks, timber or banks.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That longevity and dependence on specific habitat are material to whether a population can sustain harvest.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Native oyster
An environmental effect attached to the thing that causes it, resting on an authoritative source rather than on advocacy.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List assessment for the species concerned, and the population trend and threats recorded in it.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: UK conservation designation and the status of protected and priority species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Small-eyed ray
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the population assessment behind it for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine fisheries science: survey data, distribution and elasmobranch stock monitoring in UK waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Spotted eagle ray
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the assessment behind it, including the reproductive and habitat factors driving it.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible capture, including selectivity, the treatment of berried and undersized animals, and the precautionary approach.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Spurdog
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the population assessment behind it for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine fisheries science: survey data, distribution and elasmobranch stock monitoring in UK waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Taimen
A species joined to the environmental issue it is a worked example of. `explained_by` cannot carry these — its object must be a `concept` and these are `environment` records — and the distinction is real rather than bureaucratic: an environmental issue is something a species CAUSES or is subject to, not a mechanism that explains it.
- Check Clean Dry — biosecurity guidance for water users — GB Non-native Species Secretariat (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Biosecurity guidance for water users and the pathways by which aquatic non-native species are moved between catchments.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation assessment and recorded threats, including the impact of introduced species on native populations.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Tope
A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the population assessment behind it for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine fisheries science: survey data, distribution and elasmobranch stock monitoring in UK waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Practices involved
- BowfishingA shot fish is a wounded fish, so there is no equivalent of catch-and-release — which places bowfishing in a different category for management purposes.
- LongliningLonglining takes large predatory species with slow life histories, which is the combination that makes stock recovery slow once pressure is applied.
- Purse seiningPurse seining is the dominant gear for the pelagic shoaling species that much of the marine food web depends on, so its management is a food-web question and not only a stock one.
- SpearfishingSpearfishing is the most selective method of taking a fish there is — the diver sees it before deciding — which cuts both ways: no bycatch, and the ability to target the largest individuals specifically.
- TrawlingTrawling's effect on stocks is inseparable from its effect on the seabed those stocks depend on, which is why the two are assessed together rather than as separate questions.
What these connections rest on (5)
Authoritative guidance — 5 connections
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Bowfishing
Gear that wounds rather than hooks is classified separately in fisheries terms.
- FAO fishing gear types and fishing technology information — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The classification of wounding gear as a distinct method category.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That method and selectivity form part of sustainability assessment.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Longlining
Scientific advice and conservation assessment of affected stocks.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Advice on fishing pressure and the state of exploited stocks.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of stock status by gear type and fishery.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Purse seining
Scientific advice on pelagic stocks and the pressure on them.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Advice on pelagic stock status and fishing opportunities.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of pelagic fisheries by gear and stock.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Spearfishing
Recreational removals are accounted for in stock assessment where significant, and selectivity is a recognised factor in fishery impact.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That recreational removals form part of total fishing mortality in some assessed stocks.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That gear selectivity is a component of fishery sustainability assessment.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Trawling
Scientific advice and conservation assessment of trawl fisheries.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Advice on demersal stock status and the effects of bottom-contacting gear.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Science on seabed habitats and the effects of fishing gear on them.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Gear involved
What these connections rest on (1)
Authoritative guidance — 1 connection
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Sand eel
An environmental claim held to an authoritative standard, resting on assessment and on documented management action.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That sand eel stocks are assessed and that sand eel fisheries have been subject to closures and restrictions in relation to their role as forage for seabirds and predatory fish.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Water and ground
- Coral reefReef fish are frequently long-lived, site-attached and slow to mature, and a substantial number change sex with age — so removing the largest individuals has a structural effect on the population that the same weight of smaller fish would not.
- Floodplains, backwaters and oxbowsMany floodplain species spawn on the rise so that fry develop on inundated ground. A curtailed or failed flood is a failed year class, which is the mechanism behind the fisheries consequences of river regulation.
- MangroveThe displaced-damage argument: clearing mangrove does not reduce the catch in the mangrove, it reduces the catch on a reef several years later. That delay and that distance are why the conversion has been so easy to permit.
- Tropical estuary and tidal creekCatadromous species need connection between fresh and salt water to complete a life cycle. A barrage, weir or badly designed culvert removes the population above it even where the habitat is intact, and fish passage restores it.
What these connections rest on (4)
Scientific evidence — 4 connections
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Coral reef
A population-biology claim with direct management consequences, held to a scientific standard.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: That protogynous hermaphroditism occurs widely in reef-associated genera, such that the largest individuals are disproportionately male.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That life-history traits including longevity, maturity and sex change are material to fishery sustainability assessment.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Floodplains, backwaters and oxbows
An environmental effect attached to the habitat it happens to, resting on an authoritative source rather than on advocacy.
- The World's Mangroves and their Fisheries — FAO Forestry and Fisheries assessments — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (Standards body)Relied on for: The direction and principal causes of mangrove loss, and the dependence of coastal fisheries on the habitat being lost.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: International principles on the protection of critical habitat and nursery areas within responsible fisheries management.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Mangrove
An environmental effect attached to the habitat it happens to, resting on an authoritative source rather than on advocacy.
- The World's Mangroves and their Fisheries — FAO Forestry and Fisheries assessments — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (Standards body)Relied on for: The direction and principal causes of mangrove loss, and the dependence of coastal fisheries on the habitat being lost.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: International principles on the protection of critical habitat and nursery areas within responsible fisheries management.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Tropical estuary and tidal creek
An environmental effect attached to the habitat it happens to, resting on an authoritative source rather than on advocacy.
- The World's Mangroves and their Fisheries — FAO Forestry and Fisheries assessments — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (Standards body)Relied on for: The direction and principal causes of mangrove loss, and the dependence of coastal fisheries on the habitat being lost.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: International principles on the protection of critical habitat and nursery areas within responsible fisheries management.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where this applies
- AlaskaSalmon fisheries are managed to escapement rather than to quota, because the runs feed the entire freshwater system as well as the next generation.
- CanadaShield lakes hold small numbers of slow-growing, long-lived fish and are protected largely by inaccessibility, so new road access changes a lake's population within a few seasons.
- Central and eastern European river fishingCenturies of canalisation, dyking and damming blocked migrations, disconnected floodplain habitat and altered sediment transport. Danube sturgeons are among the most endangered fish groups in the world largely as a result, and huchen has lost most of its range for related reasons.
- CyprusThe eastern Mediterranean is structurally nutrient-poor and has additionally been heavily fished, and the two compound: a short food web supporting a limited biomass has less capacity to absorb pressure than a productive Atlantic shelf does. That is why the fishing here is frequently described as having been much better within living memory, and why the resident fish are small by nature as well as by depletion.
- Fiji and MelanesiaThe sea cucumber export trade has run in booms since the nineteenth century, each followed by depletion and moratorium, and it is the clearest local illustration of what export demand does to a slow-growing invertebrate.
- FloridaA century of drainage and altered freshwater flow changed the salinity and productivity of Florida Bay and the estuaries, and seagrass loss there is a direct fisheries problem.
- FranceEuropean eel recruitment to French rivers has collapsed and the elver fishery that was once among Europe's largest is now among the most restricted, which is the clearest local expression of a continental decline.
- Galicia and the Iberian ria coastThe shellfish grounds are managed as a common resource under community quota systems with biotoxin closures, which is one of the more studied examples of small-scale fisheries co-management anywhere.
54 more
- Germany Fishing regions
- Greenland and the high Arctic Fishing regions
- Korea Fishing regions
- Lake Victoria and the Rift Valley lakes Fishing regions
- Lough Corrib Fishing regions
- Lough Neagh Fishing regions
- Mediterranean Fishing regions
- Morecambe Bay and the north-west England coast Fishing regions
- Patagonia Fishing regions
- Portugal Fishing regions
- Romania Fishing regions
- Scottish sea lochs Fishing regions
- Shetland Fishing regions
- Skye and the Inner Hebrides Fishing regions
- South Africa Fishing regions
- South-East Asian fishing Fishing regions
- Strangford Lough and the Ards coast Fishing regions
- The Agulhas Current Fishing regions
- The Amazon basin Fishing regions
- The Baltic Sea Fishing regions
- The Bay of Biscay Fishing regions
- The Coral Triangle Fishing regions
- The Danube Fishing regions
- The Danube basin Fishing regions
- The Firth of Clyde Fishing regions
- The Gower and Carmarthen Bay Fishing regions
- The Great Lakes Fishing regions
- The Gulf of Mexico Fishing regions
- The Hampshire chalk streams Fishing regions
- The Himalayan mahseer rivers Fishing regions
- The Humboldt Current Fishing regions
- The IJsselmeer Fishing regions
- The Indian subcontinent coasts Fishing regions
- The Maldives Fishing regions
- The Mekong system Fishing regions
- The Moray Firth Fishing regions
- The Moroccan Atlantic coast Fishing regions
- The Netherlands Fishing regions
- The Norfolk Broads Fishing regions
- The Pacific Northwest coast Fishing regions
- The Rhine Fishing regions
- The River Tay Fishing regions
- The River Thames Fishing regions
- The River Tweed Fishing regions
- The River Wye Fishing regions
- The Severn Estuary Fishing regions
- The Strait of Gibraltar Fishing regions
- The Strait of Messina Fishing regions
- The Thames Estuary Fishing regions
- The Wash and the Lincolnshire coast Fishing regions
- The Welsh sewin rivers Fishing regions
- The West African coast Fishing regions
- The western Indian Ocean coast Fishing regions
- The Yorkshire coast Fishing regions
What these connections rest on (62)
Scientific evidence — 44 connections
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Alaska
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the waters concerned.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Canada
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the waters concerned.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Cyprus
Written because a visitor needs both halves of the explanation. Attributing small fish entirely to overfishing is wrong, and attributing it entirely to oligotrophy is also wrong.
- The European Environment Agency's assessments of Europe's waters, seas and coasts — European Environment Agency, Copenhagen (Conservation authority)Relied on for: State-of-the-environment assessment of Europe's seas including the Mediterranean, nutrient status, and the coverage of marine protected sites.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- EMODnet — the European Marine Observation and Data Network — The European Commission, assembled from the national hydrographic offices, geological surveys and marine institutes of the member states (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Bathymetry, salinity and physical oceanography of European and adjacent sea basins.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Fiji and Melanesia
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Florida
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Germany
An environmental claim attached to the geography where it operates, resting on published stock assessment and conservation status rather than on advocacy.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The conservation assessment of the species and stocks concerned, with the assessment date, which is the basis for treating the pressure on them as established rather than asserted.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status and the advice on which management measures for the stocks concerned are set and revised.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Greenland and the high Arctic
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Korea
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Lake Victoria and the Rift Valley lakes
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Lough Corrib
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Morecambe Bay and the north-west England coast
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Patagonia
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Romania
An environmental claim attached to the geography where it operates, resting on published stock assessment and conservation status rather than on advocacy.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The conservation assessment of the species and stocks concerned, with the assessment date, which is the basis for treating the pressure on them as established rather than asserted.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status and the advice on which management measures for the stocks concerned are set and revised.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Shetland
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Skye and the Inner Hebrides
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the waters concerned.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
South Africa
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the waters concerned.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Strangford Lough and the Ards coast
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal, estuarine and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat, estuarine process and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Agulhas Current
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Amazon basin
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the waters concerned.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Coral Triangle
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Danube basin
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the waters concerned.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Firth of Clyde
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Gower and Carmarthen Bay
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal, estuarine and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat, estuarine process and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Gulf of Mexico
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the waters concerned.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Himalayan mahseer rivers
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Humboldt Current
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Indian subcontinent coasts
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Maldives
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Mekong system
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Moray Firth
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal, estuarine and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat, estuarine process and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Moroccan Atlantic coast
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Netherlands
An environmental claim attached to the geography where it operates, resting on published stock assessment and conservation status rather than on advocacy.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The conservation assessment of the species and stocks concerned, with the assessment date, which is the basis for treating the pressure on them as established rather than asserted.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status and the advice on which management measures for the stocks concerned are set and revised.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Rhine
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Ecoregion description, nursery function and the hydrography of the European sea areas assessed.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The River Tay
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal, estuarine and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat, estuarine process and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The River Tweed
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Severn Estuary
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Strait of Gibraltar
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Strait of Messina
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Thames Estuary
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal, estuarine and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat, estuarine process and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Wash and the Lincolnshire coast
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal, estuarine and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat, estuarine process and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Welsh sewin rivers
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal, estuarine and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat, estuarine process and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The West African coast
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The western Indian Ocean coast
An environmental pressure that is specific to this place rather than general to fishing, joined so the issue record carries a real example.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them, including habitat change and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Principles for responsible fisheries management, precaution, gear selectivity and the treatment of shared and small-scale fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Yorkshire coast
A claim that a place raises a particular environmental question, resting on the scientific and conservation literature for the system rather than on angling practice.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Habitat classification and description for the intertidal, coastal and freshwater habitats named, and the species characteristically associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Characterisation of UK inshore sediment, intertidal habitat and the shellfish beds associated with them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Authoritative guidance — 18 connections
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Central and eastern European river fishing
An environmental claim about a region, limited to what the cited fisheries and conservation bodies set out.
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: International principles for responsible fisheries, including small-scale fisheries and the role of national authorities.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Synthesis of stock and gear information relating fishing methods to their effects on stocks and habitats.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
France
An environmental pressure operating here, recorded rather than adjudicated.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the sea area concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Stock and method assessment and the conservation measures applied to the fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Galicia and the Iberian ria coast
An environmental pressure operating in this system, recorded rather than adjudicated.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the sea area concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Stock and method assessment and the conservation measures applied to the fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Lough Neagh
An environmental claim about a named water, limited to what the cited monitoring and conservation bodies set out.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status, designation and monitoring of species and habitats in the United Kingdom.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Environment Agency fisheries management, byelaws and rod licensing information — Environment Agency (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The structure of freshwater fisheries management in England, including water quality monitoring and fishery regulation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Mediterranean
A stock-status claim held to an authoritative standard, stated at the level of general condition rather than as a figure that would immediately date.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The structure of scientific stock assessment and advice feeding fisheries management.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: That stock status assessments distinguish heavily exploited stocks from sustainable ones.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Portugal
An environmental pressure operating here, recorded rather than adjudicated.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the sea area concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Stock and method assessment and the conservation measures applied to the fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Scottish sea lochs
A statement that a place raises a particular conservation issue, resting on assessment and designation by the bodies responsible for it.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Global assessment, range contraction and recorded threats for the species named.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Designation and conservation status of the marine habitats and species named, and the sites designated for them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
South-East Asian fishing
An environmental claim about a region, limited to what the cited fisheries and conservation bodies set out.
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: International principles for responsible fisheries, including small-scale fisheries and the role of national authorities.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Synthesis of stock and gear information relating fishing methods to their effects on stocks and habitats.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Baltic Sea
An environmental pressure operating in this system, recorded rather than adjudicated.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the sea area concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Stock and method assessment and the conservation measures applied to the fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Bay of Biscay
An environmental pressure operating in this system, recorded rather than adjudicated.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the sea area concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Stock and method assessment and the conservation measures applied to the fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Danube
An environmental claim about a named water, limited to what the cited assessment and international guidance set out.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Extinction-risk assessment, population trend and the threats identified for freshwater and diadromous species, including barriers to migration and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: International principles for responsible fisheries, including the management of shared and transboundary waters and of introduced species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Great Lakes
An environmental pressure operating in this system, recorded rather than adjudicated.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the sea area concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Stock and method assessment and the conservation measures applied to the fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Hampshire chalk streams
An environmental claim about a named water, limited to what the cited monitoring and conservation bodies set out.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status, designation and monitoring of species and habitats in the United Kingdom.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Environment Agency fisheries management, byelaws and rod licensing information — Environment Agency (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The structure of freshwater fisheries management in England, including water quality monitoring and fishery regulation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The IJsselmeer
An environmental claim about a named water, limited to what the cited assessment and international guidance set out.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Extinction-risk assessment, population trend and the threats identified for freshwater and diadromous species, including barriers to migration and exploitation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: International principles for responsible fisheries, including the management of shared and transboundary waters and of introduced species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Norfolk Broads
An environmental claim about a named water, limited to what the cited monitoring and conservation bodies set out.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status, designation and monitoring of species and habitats in the United Kingdom.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Environment Agency fisheries management, byelaws and rod licensing information — Environment Agency (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The structure of freshwater fisheries management in England, including water quality monitoring and fishery regulation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The Pacific Northwest coast
An environmental pressure operating in this system, recorded rather than adjudicated.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the sea area concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Stock and method assessment and the conservation measures applied to the fisheries.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The River Thames
An environmental claim about a named water, limited to what the cited monitoring and conservation bodies set out.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status, designation and monitoring of species and habitats in the United Kingdom.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Environment Agency fisheries management, byelaws and rod licensing information — Environment Agency (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The structure of freshwater fisheries management in England, including water quality monitoring and fishery regulation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The River Wye
An environmental claim about a named water, limited to what the cited monitoring and conservation bodies set out.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status, designation and monitoring of species and habitats in the United Kingdom.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Environment Agency fisheries management, byelaws and rod licensing information — Environment Agency (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The structure of freshwater fisheries management in England, including water quality monitoring and fishery regulation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Related reading
- Eel and elver fisheriesOne of the oldest fisheries in Europe, prosecuted on a species assessed as critically endangered after a recruitment collapse of roughly two orders of magnitude. The sustainability record is where the general argument lives; this is its sharpest instance.
- Keeping a catch cool and safe to eatA fish taken and then wasted has produced every cost of the method and none of its benefit, and is identical to a fish eaten from the population's point of view.
- Lookalike species, and why uncertainty means do not shootA misidentified fish cannot be released, and within a confusable group one species may absorb removal far less well than another.
- Night spearfishing: what changesRemoving escape behaviour falls disproportionately on large, slow-growing, site-attached species that are already the most vulnerable.
- Reef fish territory, and where a species holdsSpawning aggregations concentrate a population's reproductive output in one approachable place, and aggregations that were fished heavily have in documented cases not reformed.
- Spawning aggregations, and why they are vulnerableCatch rates at an aggregation stay high while the population falls, so the fishing feels good until the aggregation stops forming.
- The River Spey and Atlantic salmonAtlantic salmon stocks across the North Atlantic have declined substantially with marine survival identified as a principal driver, and Scottish salmon fisheries have been subject to repeatedly revised measures in response. The romance of the river cannot be written without that.
- Why European eel populations collapsedThe clearest case in European fresh water of a species that was ordinary and heavily harvested within living memory becoming a conservation emergency, with fisheries at three life stages taking the same cohort.
2 more
- Why fish look bigger underwater Explainer
- Wreck fishing Explainer
What these connections rest on (10)
Scientific evidence — 4 connections
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Eel and elver fisheries
A fishery joined to the environmental issue it raises specifically, so the issue record carries a real example.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock status, environmental pressures and the scientific basis for advice in the waters concerned.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of the species and habitats affected, and the pressures acting on them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Reef fish territory, and where a species holds
The population consequence of the most predictable fish position there is.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock assessment and management advice concerning size at maturity and the removal of spawning adults.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Spawning aggregations, and why they are vulnerable
A documented mechanism by which a fishery collapses without warning its participants.
- Reef Fish Spawning Aggregations: Biology, Research and Management — Springer, Fish & Fisheries Series vol. 35, 2012 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: That spawning aggregations concentrate reproductive output, are disproportionately vulnerable because catch rates mask decline, and have in documented cases ceased to form after being fished.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Why fish look bigger underwater
A perceptual error with a stock consequence, attached to the environmental record rather than left as prose.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Stock assessment and management advice concerning size at maturity and the removal of spawning adults.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Authoritative guidance — 7 connections
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Eel and elver fisheries
The extinction-risk assessment and the stock advice are both published by bodies whose job is to make them, and the claim here is limited to what those assessments state rather than to any position on what should follow from them.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Global extinction-risk assessment, population trend and the threats identified for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Scientific advice on the state of north-east Atlantic stocks, including recruitment trends and the basis for management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Keeping a catch cool and safe to eat
Waste stated as a removal question rather than as an ethical one.
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Expectations for gear selectivity, minimising waste and lost gear, and managing total removal from a stock.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Lookalike species, and why uncertainty means do not shoot
The conservation consequence of an identification failure, stated as evidence rather than as exhortation.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Species-level conservation assessment, and that closely related species may hold sharply different statuses.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Night spearfishing: what changes
Why this is a management concern rather than a matter of taste.
- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 1995 (Standards body)Relied on for: Expectations for gear selectivity, minimising waste and lost gear, and managing total removal from a stock.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The River Spey and Atlantic salmon
Stock trend and the drivers identified are published by the intergovernmental body responsible and by the extinction-risk assessment, and the claim is limited to what they state.
- NASCO conservation and management of North Atlantic salmon — North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The conservation and management of North Atlantic salmon, including marine survival trends and the drivers identified.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Global extinction-risk assessment, population trend and the threats identified for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Why European eel populations collapsed
Stock state, recruitment trend and identified threats are published by the scientific advisory body and the extinction-risk assessment, and the claim is limited to what they set out.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Scientific advice on the European eel including recruitment trends, the state of the stock and the basis for management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Global extinction-risk assessment, population trend and the threats identified for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Wreck fishing
Conservation assessment of pressure on the demersal stocks that wreck fishing targets.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Scientific advice on the state of north-east Atlantic demersal stocks and fishing pressure on them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Good Fish Guide — Marine Conservation Society (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of stock status and the conservation reasoning behind restraint.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
How this compares
- Climate change and shifting fish distributionsManagement set against a historical distribution becomes less reliable as the distribution moves, which is a stock-assessment problem before it is an angling one.
- Stocking: what it does to a fisheryStocking produces fish to catch without addressing habitat, barriers, water quality or exploitation — and it removes the political pressure that the decline would otherwise create.
What these connections rest on (2)
Scientific evidence — 2 connections
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Climate change and shifting fish distributions
Two records a reader will hold together, joined where the relationship between them is the informative part.
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Scientific advice on north-east Atlantic stocks including distribution shifts and the environmental drivers identified.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Science on UK marine and freshwater fisheries including stock distribution and climate-driven change.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Stocking: what it does to a fishery
Two records a reader will hold together, joined where the relationship between them is the informative part.
- JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status, designation, monitoring and protection of species and habitats in the United Kingdom.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Environment Agency fisheries management, byelaws and rod licensing information — Environment Agency (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The structure of freshwater fisheries management including habitat protection, stocking consent and fishery regulation.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Check the rules before you fish
Fishing laws, bylaws, access rules, seasons, bait restrictions and permitted methods vary by location and can change. Check the current rules from the relevant authority and the water you intend to fish before fishing.
Check with:
- Current national or regional law for where you are fishing
- Current local bylaws
- The relevant fisheries authority
- The landowner, club or fishery whose water it is
- Any restrictions specific to the species or the method you intend to use
Sources for this page
- ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The stock-level basis of fisheries assessment and management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The scientific basis of stock assessment for UK and adjacent waters.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy.
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