Topic: Fisheries

News & Insights

From Ruin to Resilience: Supporting Global Fisheries’ Sustainability amid Pandemic

Marine fisheries generate a critical protein source for more than a billion people worldwide, and an often irreplaceable source of income for developing-world communities exporting to international markets. Yet poor fisheries management frequently results in habitat destruction and overfishing, depleting stocks and steadily raising the costs to land each kilogram of fish.[1] The need for a new paradigm for global fisheries management and trade—built on science-based catch limits and basic labor standards for all industry participants—was urgent before the Covid-19 pandemic. Today the situation is even more dire. As a result of the pandemic and stringent public health measures, small-scale…

Programs

Sustainable Fisheries Fund

Since 2002, the Sustainable Fisheries Fund (SFF) has provided match funding for small-scale and under-resourced fisheries to work toward sustainability through seafood certifications, including the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard, Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), and most recently, the Fair Trade capture fisheries standard. SFF has supported work toward MSC certification for more than 55 fisheries, 33 FIPs that have received a grade of B or higher on FisheryProgress.org, and three Fair Trade-certified fisheries. SFF grants build technical capacity within small-scale fisheries and leverage industry investments in sustainable fishing. In coordination with our partners, RLF regularly updates SFF program criteria to…

Programs

Federal Fisheries Policy Coalition

Established in 2015, the project is a coalition of national ocean fish conservation organizations working in close coordination to preserve and, where possible, advance conservation gains in U.S. marine fisheries policy and management. Project priorities include ecosystem-based fisheries management and promoting climate-ready fisheries in the United States.

Programs

California Fisheries Improvement Strategy

The California Fisheries Improvement Strategy (FIS) program works to ensure commercially and recreationally significant California state-managed fisheries meet global standards for sustainability and good management. FIS fosters innovations in fisheries management and practices, supports improved capacity of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and promotes modernization of data collection and analysis.