Watching the viral bottom-trawling scene in Ocean, Sir David Attenborough’s latest global phenomenon, has immersed us in a view of the underwater world few of us have experienced before. As fish flee a heavy net being dragged along the seabed by a modern trawler, with a fast-pulsing soundtrack heightening the drama, it is a powerful moment. “It’s hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish“, Sir David concludes.

And in that heartbreaking moment, it motivates you to act, feel anger towards the fishing industry, and ask questions about its sustainability. But, as with many things, fishing is far more complex than it first appears.

Fishing is a nuanced and deeply ingrained part of our cultural heritage as a maritime nation. It operates commercially at a range of scales – from industrial trawlers to small-scale potters. And so, fisheries sustainability is also deeply nuanced. Sustainable fisheries do exist, but at the same time, so do unsustainable fisheries. As a consumer, it can be challenging to navigate this frequently opaque landscape with confidence. Mislabelling, lack of traceability, and ‘blue washing’ are often rife in seafood products.

In the UK, much of the seafood we consume is imported to meet our demand for seafood favourites, like prawns, tuna, and cod, rather than species caught in our own domestic waters. We are also increasingly reliant on farmed fish rather than wild-caught seafood, importing popular species like seabass produced in Mediterranean farms, which come with their own sustainability challenges.

Globally, three billion people rely on seafood as their primary source of protein, and this number is increasing annually. Seafood is a nutrient-dense, climate-friendly food that has the power to feed the world sustainably – if we harvest it responsibly.

Recreational and subsistence fishers are often overlooked in food security dialogues, but are no less important, often playing a vital role in coastal communities, ocean stewardship, and sustainable fisheries as well.

At the same time, overfishing remains a major driver of biodiversity loss. Significant evidence demonstrates fishing and its associated impacts, like habitat degradation and the bycatch of endangered, threatened, and protected species, pose a risk to the health of our seas. These threats not only jeopardise ocean health but also undermine the resilience of coastal communities.