Managing a Vital Food Source
Fisheries play an essential role by providing a vital source of food in a sustainable manner. Fisheries are also a source of employment, recreation, trade, and economic well-being for people throughout the world. Globally, fisheries feed billions of people and offer jobs and livelihoods for millions more. The global market value of marine and coastal resources and industries is estimated at three trillion dollars annually. Over three billion people depend upon the oceans to provide their primary source of protein, and marine fisheries directly or indirectly employ over 200 million people. In the United States alone, fishing generates over $200 billion in sales each year and more than 1.7 million jobs rely on commercial and recreational fisheries. Marine fisheries management is a complex process incorporating fisheries science and fish stock status information, food web and “predator/prey relationships, habitat needs, socioeconomic needs of recreational and commercial fishermen, and law enforcement issues.”
To learn more about fisheries management and to access Ocean Connect’s wide range of educational and career resources, please visit our Fisheries Management snapshot.