Global insights on managing fishery systems for the three pillars of sustainability

There is growing recognition that fisheries should be managed for all three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental sustainability. Limited quantitative evidence exists on factors supporting social sustainability, much less factors that contribute to multiple dimensions of sustainability. To develop a broader understanding of the factors that influence the performance of fishery management systems in environmental, economic and social pillars, we examine 11 input factors conjectured to contribute to successful fisheries using a global dataset of 145 fisheries case studies. The analysis indicates that management approaches are cross-cutting and contribute to multiple dimensions of sustainability to varying extents. Importantly, factors exogenous to fisheries management can be as important as fisheries management, suggesting collaboration of fisheries institutions with other public and private institutions is important for sustainable fisheries development.

Automated summary

This article discusses the factors contributing to the sustainability of fisheries in terms of environmental, economic, and social aspects. The analysis shows that different management approaches have varying contributions to different dimensions of sustainability. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of collaboration between fisheries institutions and other public and private institutions for the development of sustainable fisheries.