Fisheries blogs

Ocean of bliss: rewriting the narrative

On World Oceans Day, Essam Yassin Mohammed says it is time to rethink the way we look at the world's ocean resources

Idris bhai, your voice has been heard!

A chance conversation with a Bangladeshi fisherman may have paid off

Can we save our fisheries with lessons from our forests?

Payments to encourage the conservation of important natural resources are being used to protect forests, but can they also play a role in restoring depleted fisheries?

Why do I see blue when everyone else sees green?

Could participants at the climate summit only see the colour green? How else can we explain the near total absence of the oceans from the programme and declarations

Environmental Funds: sustainable finance for conservation

Conservation Trust Funds provide sustainable financing for long-term conservation. Guest blogger Ann Marie Steffa Avila looks at the work of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds (RedLAC) in supporting grass roots projects. She explains how the funds operate and looks at a project to fund six ecotourism organisations

Want to know how to save a fish species? Ask a fisher

When Essam Yassin Mohammed asked a former fisherman in Bangladesh how to protect a fish that feeds millions of people, he learnt about four overlooked factors that intensify threats to the species

Ten ways to ensure there are plenty more fish in the sea

Sustainable fisheries must be central to the new global development goals that all nations will pursue from 2015, says Essam Yassin Mohammed.

Fishy business at IIED

The end of November was an exciting time for IIED’s Sustainable Markets Group, which launched two publications and an online network, all with a focus on sustainable fisheries. Grace Philip reports.

How to protect our oceans: use more carrots

Incentives to protect marine and coastal environments could be more effective than a ‘command and control’ approach, but only if reinforced by efficient, transparent and equitable governance.

New Commission for oceans in crisis

Our oceans give us food and oxygen, regulate climate and offer untold riches, yet are in deep trouble. So what should a new Global Ocean Commission do about it?

Buy me an ocean: why we need payments for coastal and marine environments

Without incentives to properly manage coastal and marine environments, these valuable resources will continue to deteriorate — with dire consequences for already impoverished communities.

Vietnam: Mangroves break waves and help the people of Dai Hop Commune break even

Well-fed women smile out from under their hats as they pull in their catch of fish, shrimp and crabs from the mangrove forest. The simple images are in an educational booklet on the benefits of mangroves, with tips on how to grow seedlings.

Fish, chips and a side of celebrity

The Fish Fights campaign, headed by old-Etonian turned sustainable food champion Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, has been making waves in the UK, drawing attention towards the upcoming EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform in 2013. Celebrity involvement in campaigning is nothing new but has recently been attracting a lot of attention in the development blogosphere. Celebrities have helped publicise Fish Fights, but what next for the campaign?

Buy me a river

Asking poor households how much they would be willing to pay to protect a river in Thailand can help put a tangible price-tag on the river’s benefits — from clean water to flood control — and realistically assess the costs of overexploitation and degradation.

The missing 't'

Seeking an easy way to prepare fish at home, many families in the developed world turn to fish fillets. Grilled, sautéed or fried, the fish is ready to eat in minutes, having been pre-scaled, pre-gutted, deboned and pre-packaged before it arrives at the local supermarkets. But what happens to those fish scraps that are stripped away?

How to manage our fish and chips

‘Mind-withering stupidity’ is how UK writer George Monbiot characterised the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) decision not to protect bluefin tuna.

The ‘absence of a ban’, he went on to say, ‘ensures that, after one or two more seasons of fishing at current levels, all the jobs and the entire industry are finished forever, along with the magnificent species that supported them’.