[0:15]I know my dad's fishery makes sure they don't overfish the species they catch and take care of the ecosystem. My dad says they fish sustainably. But what does this mean?
[0:32]Sustainable fishing means fishing in a responsible way, making sure fish populations do not drop below levels where they cannot reproduce and grow faster than they are caught. It's also important to make sure fishing doesn't damage marine life and their ecosystem. But how do they do this? Firstly, fishers need to know as much as they can about the fish and shellfish they catch and the ecosystem they live in. Fisheries work with scientists to understand how the fish and shellfish population grows and shrinks over time. This is controlled by births, migrations in and out of the fishery and deaths. This information can show them how much fish they can catch without overfishing. This scientific calculation is called the maximum sustainable yield. Fishers can use this information to choose a particular type of fish to catch. Each fish has a role in its ecosystem and they vary in how plentiful they are at a given time. Taking this into account can help fishers decide if fishing is sustainable or not sustainable. My dad fishes for herring because they are plentiful in the ocean where he fishes. And they only fish for a certain number of fish, a quota, every year. Working with nature and not against it helps prevent unnecessary impact on marine life. Choosing the time of day or night to fish can avoid bycatch as different fish species come up close to the surface or swim down to the ocean depths at different times of the day.
[2:25]So sometimes you can find a time and place where you will only catch the fish you want. Fisheries can also use nets that ensure smaller fish and sea creatures can escape. Some boats use bright colored flags on their fishing lines to scare seabirds away.
