Factors Used to Evaluate Sustainability of a Fishery

The key issues that are evaluated to determine whether a fishery is being exploited sustainably include:

• The inherent vulnerability of the species to fishing pressure: Is the reproduction and other aspects of the species biology sufficiently robust to allow the harvesting of numerous individuals without impairing the populations ability to continually replace those animals that are removed?
• The status of the species population: Is the population healthy or is it reduced from optimal levels by other factors such as habitat loss or population?
• The nature and extent of by-catch: What are the types and numbers of non-target species that are caught and will not survive using the gear and methods employed by the fishery?
• The effects of the fishing practices on habitats and ecosystems: Does the gear damage the sea bottom or adversely affect, whether directly or indirectly, any other aspect of the ecosystem?
• Effectiveness of the management of the fishery: Is sufficient data being collected and records maintained to allow specialists to determine the status of target species populations and take action to ensure sustainability?

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