Fishing bans don’t have to hurt fishing communities, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers. The group tracked vessels during a short-lived trawling moratorium in the Adriatic Sea and found that fishers maintained their catch levels by fishing elsewhere. The findings suggest that such bans can protect overfished regions without hurting people’s livelihoods and could influence efforts to protect other sensitive regions.
“Our findings demonstrate how even in areas where there’s intense and complex use, it is possible for different parties to achieve success,” said study co-author and Stanford marine biologist Fiorenza Micheli. The findings informed a European Union decision to extend the protection.
The study, published in Frontiers in Ecology and Environment, tracked fishing vessels through a common onboard technology, Automatic Identification System, that regularly transmits data as a way of preventing collisions. By tracking the boats, researchers found fishing vessels that complied with a one-year fishing ban maintained their catch levels by moving to other areas.
In addition to supporting more permanent protection in the Adriatic, the results hold promise for other highly exploited areas around the world where enforcement is challenging.
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