Leading scientists redefine ‘sustainability’ to save the ocean and feed a hungry and warming planet | Top ocean experts redefines the concept of “sustainable fishing” and proposes 11 “golden rules” that radically challenge the flawed approach that currently prevails in fisheries management.

From the article: Published a week before Brussels’ Ocean Week, and a few months before the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, the rules have been devised to put an end to the ongoing destruction of the oceans caused by fishing, and ensure the renewal of abundant fish populations to feed future generations.

They come at a time when scientists have drastically downgraded their assessment of the ocean’s health status.

The rules unfold according to two guiding principles that would revolutionise the way we “manage” the exploitation of the ocean: 1) fishing must minimise impacts on marine species and habitats, adapt to climate change, and enable the regeneration of depleted marine life and habitats; 2) fishing must support and enhance the health, wellbeing and resilience of people and communities – in particular, the most vulnerable among us – and not simply benefit corporations that tightly steer profits to owners and shareholders while leaving others to bear the costs.

Their work, entitled “Rethinking sustainability of marine fisheries for a fast-changing planet”, is [published](https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-024-00078-2) in Nature‘s scientific journal npj Ocean Sustainability.

This scientific endeavour has the ambition to serve as foundation for a complete reform of the appalling current mismanagement of the Earth’s largest common.

The scientists call on policymakers, retailers, fishers and industry leaders to embrace this new vision and commit to its implementation.