Three city researchers find a solution to achieve sustainability in marine fisheries

Chennai

Unfortunately, sustainable fishing is eroded by a mismatch between seafood harvest and consumption. Small-scale fishermen, with the lowest ecological footprint, are not rewarded. Recently, three researchers from Chennai – Dr Divya Karnad, Dr. Chaitanya Krishna and Dhruv Gangadharan – have found that urban seafood consumers are important contributors to the unsustainable seafood trade. Divya, who is also an assistant professor at Ashoka University, says, “Seafood is a common ingredient in many people’s diet, but it is also the last wild food regularly eaten in the civilised world. As a result, most people don’t think of seafood as wildlife, which has deep consequences for sustainable fisheries. Managing fisheries alone is not resulting in global seafood sustainability.