Sustainable seafood harvesting leads to higher production and profits

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In Japan, researchers found that harvesting sustainable amounts of seafood globally over the next 75 years can lead to higher total food production and profits, even taking into consideration the fish populations which are projected to decline as the ocean warms and habitats change.

How?  Under the best management scenario, some major fish and shellfish stocks that are commercially harvested will grow and become more profitable, offsetting the many others projected to shrink or even disappear. So, the oceans can continue to be a source of healthy seafood and sustainable livelihoods for billions of people, but only if action is taken to manage the stocks well and limit the carbon emissions that drive climate change.

There is a catch. In the model, if temperatures rise higher than the projected moderate warming by 2100, global fish harvest and profits are expected to decline below today’s levels even with the best management.