Marine Resource Management Model | Every Last Fish

The article analyzes marine resource management as a system of hierarchical constraints that goes beyond simple catch optimization. The author contrasts maintaining stocks at a depleted level with their full recovery, pointing to the 'shifting baseline' problem and the need to establish proper reference points. Using FAO data and the concept of viability theory, the text argues that a necessary condition is preserving the population's ability to self-reproduce (spawning biomass). A distinction is emphasized between the mere survival of a species and its resilience to environmental changes. A modern approach, aligned with EU policy, requires the integration of precautionary and ecosystem-based approaches to ensure biological sustainability and intergenerational justice in ocean exploitation.