Fishing

By-catch entangled in the net of a tuna purse-seiner. Tuna purse-seine fishery (French) in the Atlantic Ocean. August 1995
© WWF-Canon / Hélène PETIT

The world’s oceans produce 70% of our oxygen. They influence weather systems, support economies and feed people. About 950 million people rely on fish as their primary source of protein, and fishing is the principal livelihood for over 200 million people around the world. But the world’s oceans and the marine life they sustain are at risk.

Destructive fishing methods
Destructive fishing methods, such as cyanide poisoning and dynamite fishing are still widely practiced. The blasting of coral reefs can produce larger craters, devastating 10-20 square meters of the bed, reducing stocks and impoverishing local communities whose livelihoods and health depend on the fish.

Fishing gear
The incidental catch of endangered marine mammals, cetaceans, sea turtles, seabirds and certain fish species is the leading threat to their existence -- but 27 million metric tons of incidental catch are carelessly swept away and discarded by commercial fishing operations every year.

Overfishing
Overfishing, the catching and killing of more fish than can naturally be replaced, is devastating fish populations. Over 75 percent of fisheries are already fully exploited or overfished.

Fishing policy
Over exploitation of commercial fisheries is fuelled by government subsidies valued at more than U.S. $10 billion annually, keeping the worldwide fishing capacity at more than twice the level that is biologically sustainable. 

Conserving marine habitats and promoting sustainable fishing methods is as important to people as it is to wildlife. WWF is helping protect marine biodiversity and conserve a vital resource for humans.

Read more about how the world's tuna populations are facing urgent threats to their continued existence

Learn about what we are doing to address these challenges