Over 3 billion people rely on the ocean to make a living, and most of them are in developing countries. For 17% of the world's population, aquaculture and fisheries are their main source of protein, and for the less-developed countries, fish contributes to nearly 30% of their protein intake.
As our global population is increasing, the demand for seafood is expected to rise. Both Asia and Africa have seen fish production double over the last decade, and globally, fish consumption is expected to rise an additional 15%.
Despite ocean ecosystems being strained by climate-changing, studies are suggesting that seafood can be expanded sustainably to meet our future food demands; however, the success of that will depend on small-scale fisheries. Small operations deliver both food and income directly to the people who need them most; additionally, locals are more likely to make their practices sustainable.
On top of that, these fisheries can be extremely efficient because the bulk of everything caught is consumed. In contrast, 20% of the fish caught by industrial fleets is estimated to be wasted because of unwanted catch.
So, in essence, while large-scale operators might catch more fish, small-scale fisheries provide a larger share of the fish that is actually consumed.
The problem is those small fisheries don't have the necessary resources to expand their operations; additionally, if they do scale up, they might lose some of their advantages. However, if managed with ethical and sustainable practices, small fisheries could provide a massive win for the environment and our livelihoods.
