4SEAS

We asked our audience: do you agree that seas have sustained mankind since its very beginning? And we obtained a very high consensus (up to 88% of responders aged >18).

Yes, man has always relied on seas for several reasons and, among them, to get food and products. Fishing is one of the most ancient strategies for mankind to feed, and dates back long before agriculture. Of course, techniques have much improved and now we could even collect all the fish in the sea, a phenomenon called "overfishing".

Once a purely traditional activity, fishing is now based on the most innovative techniques that enable fishermen to predict weather conditions, sail safely, find the fish, collect virtually any target prey, store it while keep fishing and finally distribute it precisely by ITC tools. However, fishing is still a very hard job that calls for passion and dedication.

Fishermen are the repository of a huge knowledge, and scientists often rely on them for research. On the other hand, fishermen need scientists to optimize a sustainable approach to the use of natural resources. 

While there is no doubt that indiscriminate fishing can lead to stock (and environmental) collapse, several regulations are now being implemented at the national and international levels to set quota, limit abuse, avoid the most dangerous techniques and keep fishing to a sustainable level. And we shall never forget that industrial fishing is not alone: several local artisanal fisheries are still in place and manage to keep a long heritage alive, together with the respect for nature.

Willing to know more about fishing? Check this out!