UN experts warn of unsustainable fishing practices as 35% of global fish stocks face overexploitation
The Third UN Ocean Conference in Nice highlighted a concerning statistic, that 35 per cent of global fish stocks are now being harvested unsustainably.
This indicates significant pressure on the world’s oceans due to overfishing, climate change, and unsustainable management practices.
The report, “Review of the State of World Marine Fishery Resources 2025,” which drew on data from 2,570 marine fish stocks, revealed stark regional differences in sustainability.
While some regions, like the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada (over 90% sustainable) and Australia and New Zealand (over 85% sustainable), demonstrate effective management, others face severe challenges. Northwest Africa’s coast has over half of its stocks overfished, and the Mediterranean and Black Seas fare even worse, with 65% of stocks unsustainable.
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The report emphasizes that “management works,” and that rebuilding fish populations is possible.
The success of tuna stocks, with 87% of major stocks sustainably fished, serves as a significant example of how effective management, monitoring, and compliance systems can lead to recovery.
Importance of sustainable fisheries
Science-based management is expensive, and some regions lack the necessary infrastructure for control, monitoring, and scientific research.
The UN emphasizes the need to build capacity in regions struggling with sustainability, supporting them in rebuilding their populations. The FAO has worked with 25 regional fisheries-management organizations to promote accountability and reform, and this model is replicable if the political will holds.
Sustainable fisheries are crucial for the livelihoods of 600 million people worldwide who depend on fisheries and aquaculture. In some countries, aquatic animals are the main source of protein. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that recovery is still within reach, and what was lost in a generation can return in a generation.
The UN Ocean Conference also addressed the need to place small-scale fisheries at the center of global policy conversations. Small-scale fisheries account for 40% of all fish caught globally and are vital for biodiversity, nutrition, and economic growth within communities. The conference also discussed the importance of the High Seas Treaty and the need to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.
The ocean faces numerous threats, including rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, plastic pollution, and destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling. Bottom trawling is considered the most destructive fishing practice, causing significant damage to the seabed and marine life.
The ocean plays a crucial role in regulating the climate and absorbing excess carbon dioxide. Ocean-based climate solutions, such as offshore renewable energy and the protection of “blue carbon” ecosystems, could deliver up to 35% of the emissions reductions needed by 2050 to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees C.
The UN Ocean Conference aims to mobilize partnerships, commitments, and solutions to address ocean challenges. The conference is a critical opportunity to scale up funding for Sustainable Development Goal 14, cement the ocean’s role in fighting climate change, accelerate movement on international goals and treaties, and champion 100% sustainable ocean management.
As the conference moves into its final stretch, FAO’s warning shines like a beacon: one-third of the world’s fish stocks remain under too much pressure. But the data also offer something that can be elusive in the climate and biodiversity space – evidence that recovery is possible.
Three days in, the FAO report underscores a central message voiced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, on Monday, as he opened the summit: recovery is still within reach.
“What was lost in a generation,” he said, “can return in a generation.”
