TY - JOUR
T1 - Fisheries performance indicators for assessing the ecological sustainability of wild-caught seafood products in Europe
AU - Grati, Fabio
AU - Druon, Jean-Noël
AU - Gascuel, Didier
AU - Absil, Christine
AU - Bastardie, François
AU - Bonanomi, Sara
AU - Fabi, Gianna
AU - Glemarec, Gildas
AU - Guitton, Jerome
AU - Hornborg, Sara
AU - Iriondo, Ane
AU - Jung, Armelle
AU - Kalogirou, Stefanos
AU - Veli, Daniel Li
AU - Lloret, Josep
AU - Maravelias, Christos
AU - Moutopoulos, Dimitrios K.
AU - Raid, Tiit
AU - Rindorf, Anna
AU - Sala, Antonello
AU - Scanu, Martina
AU - Scarcella, Giuseppe
AU - Tičina, Vjekoslav
AU - Ulrich, Clara
AU - Lucchetti, Alessandro
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - The increasing global demand for seafood has intensified pressure on marine resources and hence the need to adopt sustainable fishing practices and promote sustainable products. Raising consumer awareness about the variability in ecological sustainability of seafood is an important tool to facilitate prevention of marine resource overexploitation, minimise the impact of fishing on ecosystems, and ensure long-term renewal of aquatic resources. Here we propose a simple but comprehensive and generic assessment framework with three indicators that inform on the impact of fishing practices on seabed habitats, fish stock status, and bycatch risk of sensitive species for any given product, whether domestically caught or imported, based on publicly available information. A rating scale from 1 to 5 is used for clarity and effectiveness in communicating the respective risks. The indicators provide a user-friendly tool for consumers, policymakers, and industry professionals to make informed decisions about seafood sustainability. Our results show contrasted ecological risks among the main fishing methods, which is crucial for value chain actors for making informed choices that support sustainable fishing practices. Our method enables scientifically proven practices for mitigating by-catches of sensitive species to be accounted for. A clear, transparent, fair and adaptable scoring system can enhance societal awareness and steer the market towards more sustainable seafood products.
AB - The increasing global demand for seafood has intensified pressure on marine resources and hence the need to adopt sustainable fishing practices and promote sustainable products. Raising consumer awareness about the variability in ecological sustainability of seafood is an important tool to facilitate prevention of marine resource overexploitation, minimise the impact of fishing on ecosystems, and ensure long-term renewal of aquatic resources. Here we propose a simple but comprehensive and generic assessment framework with three indicators that inform on the impact of fishing practices on seabed habitats, fish stock status, and bycatch risk of sensitive species for any given product, whether domestically caught or imported, based on publicly available information. A rating scale from 1 to 5 is used for clarity and effectiveness in communicating the respective risks. The indicators provide a user-friendly tool for consumers, policymakers, and industry professionals to make informed decisions about seafood sustainability. Our results show contrasted ecological risks among the main fishing methods, which is crucial for value chain actors for making informed choices that support sustainable fishing practices. Our method enables scientifically proven practices for mitigating by-catches of sensitive species to be accounted for. A clear, transparent, fair and adaptable scoring system can enhance societal awareness and steer the market towards more sustainable seafood products.
KW - Sustainable fishing practices
KW - Sustanability indicators
KW - Fishing impact assessment
KW - Societal awareness
KW - Marine ecosystems
KW - Ecological risks
KW - Rating scale
U2 - 10.1016/j.indic.2025.100632
DO - 10.1016/j.indic.2025.100632
M3 - Journal article
SN - 2665-9727
VL - 26
JO - Environmental and Sustainability Indicators
JF - Environmental and Sustainability Indicators
M1 - 100632
ER -
