9 – Sea fisheries

Publisher Summary Proposals for increasing the yield of human food from the sea by attempting to bring about widescale alterations of the marine environment must be considered with much caution. It seems probable that marine fish farming and shellfish culture may eventually become more widespread and intensive than at present. The economics of these enterprises mainly require the production of high-priced species. The immediate prospect of obtaining greater quantities of food from the sea lies mainly in the possibility of wider, controlled exploitation of natural stocks. This requires concurrent developments along several lines, including the utilization of a greater variety of species especially the pelagic stocks. If krill harvesting proves to be economically viable, there seems to be a large resource of food in this form which is at present virtually untapped. Even if not readily suitable for human diets, use of krill for fishmeal might reduce pressures on fish stocks, and facilitate measures for conservation. Any over-exploitation could have disastrous consequences for wildlife. International cooperation in fishing and fishery science is a prerequisite for major advance, without which optimum yields cannot be estimated, and fishing appropriately regulated. The chief hope of making the best use of the food resources of the sea lies in a wider application of rational methods of control of fishing. Uncontrolled, competitive laissez-faire hunting inevitably leads eventually to declining yields from diminishing stocks. In fishing, as in most human affairs, progressive improvement depends upon intelligent control of human behavior.