Just Say No' Doesn't Work for the Ocean, Either

Like the old anti-drug campaign, it turns out that telling local fishers to “just say no” to overfishing doesn’t work.

Reducing overfishing is key to safeguarding the ocean. The conservation community’s existing solution set often includes two camps:

1. Those who prioritize Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), i.e., those who say, “Let’s set aside 30 percent of the ocean, and keep fishers out.”
2. Those who want to regulate fishing: “Fishers can’t be trusted, so let’s regulate them.”