The world Fisheries ?do they have any future?

Ernesto A. Chávez

Abstract

The world Fisheries ?do they have any future? Ernesto A. Chávez Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, IPN Av. IPN s/n Col. Playa Palo de Sta. Rita La Paz, BCS Mexico 23096     The future of the fisheries is burdened by political trends, ruling economic and social factors. The development of fisheries is in the midst of the need to feed a growing human population and the consequences of the depletion of exploited stocks, motivated by economic interests and constrained by their finite biomass. Economic factors, social factors and the dynamics of fisheries face each other, multiple interacting problems, but theyall have their own dynamics and complicate the possibility of finding isolated and independent solutions. Aquaculture seems to offer a light of hope for mankind by helping to solve the problem of producing food from the sea. However, this is not a permanent solution. There are certain trends in fishery development which in practice,may contribute to a future that can help fisheries to become truly sustainable, such as reduction of discharges, gradual reduction of large vessels, improvement of management measures, increased involvement participation of the, eco-labeling of fishery products, reduction of illegal fishing, relative price stability and certification of many fisheries, among others. All these factors open a window of hope that allows us to expect that the sustainability of fishing can become a reality, rather than a utopia. It is remarkable to realize that the maximum yield of the world oceans approaches very close to 100 Mmt and the biomass of all the exploited stocks is near to 200 Mmt. Current yield and stock biomass are nearly 40 per cent below their maxima. Assessment of the main world fisheries suggest that nearly 40 Million mt, could be obtained additionally by increasing mesh opening.