1. Social groupings, markets and
sustainability
Jack Whalen
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership
&
Aalto University, Department of Design

2. Fisheries and their stakeholders
• Fishery
– A geographic location and the fish species that is captured
there (e.g., the Western Baltic cod fishery)
– Combines industrial and scientific ways of understanding
(a place for fishing + the particular fish tock that lives
there)
• Stakeholders
– Catchers and their communities and/or companies
– Processors
– Buyers (large retailers, like Walmart in the States or Tesco
in Finland and elsewhere) and their suppliers
– Government (or intergovernmental) agencies who manage
the fishery
– Consumers ?

3. Responsible (sustainable) fishing
• Fishing practices and management that ensure fish stocks and
marine eco-systems are maintained and protected for future
generations
• Issues in sustainable fishing
– Overfishing - Too many fishing boats
– Overfished Stock - Too few fish left to reproduce effectively
– Marine habitat - the ocean eco-system
(e.g., sharks, seaweed, dolphins, seagulls, coral)
– Fisheries management - the system that says who is allowed to
fish, where they are can fish and how much they can catch
– Discards - when fishermen throw fish overboard (usually dead)
– Illegal fishing e.g. fish caught by unlicensed boats
– Traceability e.g. Where did the fish come from?

4. The battles over sustainability
and its costs
• Scientists and NGOs vs industry (whether large
industrial fleets or small scale and artisanal
catchers) and governments
• Strategies and tactics in the battle
– Scientific analysing and reporting
– Blame and shame campaigns + political lobbying
– Consumer education
– Community development/assistance
– Market transformation

5. Fishery improvement:
Can you design a sustainable fishery?
• It is better to work together with
fishermen to improve a fishery than to
stop buying or selling fish
• There are many ways to improve fisheries
– Healthy fish stocks
– Protection of habitats and marine life
– Effective management of fishing activities
– ...

6. Fishery improvement:
Can you design a sustainable fishery?
Science
+
Economic incentives
+
Fishing regulations