It is found that small scale fisheries produce as much annual catch for human consumption and use less than one-eighth the fuel as their industrial counterparts, but they are dealt a double-whammy by well-intentioned eco-labelling initiatives and ill-conceived fuel subsidies. A study conducted by University of British Columbia scripted that small-scale fisheries are characterized as fishers operating in boats 15 metres or shorter. Daniel Pauly, Director of the UBC Fisheries Centre and co-author of a study, told that they are the best hope at sustainable fisheries.
According to the study the amount of subsides large-scale, industrial fisheries receive versus small-scale, coastal fisheries. For instance, the average large-scale fisherman receives nearly 200 times the fuel subsidy that the average small-scale fisherman receives. Jennifer Jacquet, study co-author and a PhD Candidate in the UBC Fisheries Centre, said that the reason behind this is that the small scale fisheries employ more than 12 million people world-wide, compared to half a million in the industrial sector. She also said that small-scale fisheries use less fuel to catch fish.
According to Jacquet small-scale fisheries use fishing gear that are more selective and far less destructive to deep sea environments. She told that as a result they discard very little unwanted fish and almost all of their catch is used for human consumption. Pauly told that market-based initiatives, while well-intentioned, unduly discriminate against small scale fishers for their lack of resources to provide data for certification.
