Sustainable fishing and ocean-friendly practices that help protect fishery resources
There is an old saying: "Drain the pond to catch the fish, and next year there will be no fish." This ancient warning still holds true today. The ocean is not an inexhaustible granary; once fishing intensity exceeds the resource's capacity to regenerate, even the richest fishing grounds will become emptier year after year. For fishermen, protecting fishery resources is not just sloganeering, it is safeguarding the long-term livelihood of their own households.
Sustainable fishing: first, hold these bottom lines
The first is to comply with closed fishing seasons and no-fishing zones. The summer fishing moratorium covers the key stage when fish and shrimp breed and grow, and docking boats in port as required brings fatter, finer catches in the second half of the year. The second is not to catch juvenile fish; anything below the catchable size must be returned to the sea. All localities have clear requirements for the minimum catchable size of major commercial fish species, so before heading out to sea, remember to check the latest standards published by the local fisheries authority. The third is to cooperate with catch quota management and carefully fill in fishing logs. What is in the net and how much was caught should be recorded truthfully; this is both a compliance requirement and first-hand data for understanding the resource base.
Improving fishing gear to minimise "bycatch"
Traditional nets catch everything, large and small, and often accidentally harm juvenile fish, sea turtles and seabirds. Nowadays many boat owners are switching to selective fishing gear: releasing small fish according to the required mesh size, adding exclusion devices to the gear that allow sea turtles and other creatures to escape, and adjusting hook depth and operating methods to reduce seabird bycatch. These changes cost little but can significantly reduce bycatch waste, making catches more uniform in size and better in quality. In addition, discarded fishing nets and plastic waste must never go into the sea; oily bilge water on board should be recovered according to regulations, and the garbage you bring back should be sorted and handed over after docking. When the sea surface is clean, fish are willing to come.
Model fishermen: more than just "following the rules"
Fishermen who truly know how to nurture the sea will go one step further: when participating in stock enhancement and release, make sure to use local native seedlings and fry, and do not release alien species at will; when illegal fishing such as electrofishing, poisoning or explosives is discovered, report it promptly to the fisheries administration; fleets with the means can try to apply for sustainable fishery certifications so that good fish fetch a good price. All localities have corresponding subsidy and reward policies for fishery resource conservation, and the standards vary, so the specific details should be based on what the local fisheries authority publishes.
When the marine ecology is healthy, with more fish and bigger fish, income naturally rises as well. Starting by releasing one juvenile fish and picking up one discarded net, every fisherman can become a model for conserving fishery resources.