The Trouble with the Ocean

Every February, Fish Free February invites us to pause, reflect, and reconsider the role seafood plays in our diets, and the impact fishing has on our oceans.

Now in its sixth year, Fish Free February continues to shine a light on the often-overlooked pressures facing marine ecosystems. In 2026, the campaign is joined by 71blue, an ocean impact organisation working to turn awareness into real-world action. Together, they are encouraging those of us with the choice to cut seafood from our diets for the month of February, explore plant‑based alternatives, and learn more about how everyday decisions can help protect ocean life.

The oceans are under enormous stress from human activities, many of which link back to the practice of fishing. The oceans have long been considered a bountiful, inexhaustible resource – however, we now know that this is very much not the case.

Over the past century, as technology has developed, fishing boats have become larger, can travel further, and stay at sea longer. Onboard refrigeration, refuelling vessels, and floating fish‑processing plants mean that some fishing fleets rarely need to return to land. The use of stronger and lighter plastics and polymer materials has allowed fishing lines to be sunk deeper and nets to be sprawled wider. GPS, echo‑sounders, and fish‑finding technology are tipping the balance further in favour of fishers, leaving marine species with fewer and fewer places to hide.

Fisheries on the scale we see today are simply not sustainable. 

The majority of people have never seen, with their own eyes, what lives in the ocean. This disconnect between humans and life beneath the surface has consequences. While green living and conservation are becoming more mainstream – and many people are choosing to reduce their meat intake – seafood is too often left out of the picture. Deforestation for cattle farming is widely discussed; overfishing and bycatch are not.

So what can we do?

Fish Free February is a movement that encourages people to reduce the amount of seafood they eat, learn about the impacts of fisheries, and make more informed choices when they do consume seafood. Using the month of February as a focal point, the campaign invites participants to cut seafood out of their diet entirely for one month, helping to bring attention to the pressures facing our oceans.

If you are in a position to choose alternative sources of protein, taking part is a simple but meaningful way to show support for healthier seas.

Find out more at fishfreefebruary.com or read more below

BYCATCH

Bycatch describes animals that are caught unintentionally during fishing. It is estimated that bycatch may account for up to 40% of the global catch each year, with around a quarter of this discarded back into the ocean dead or dying.

Few fishing techniques are truly selective. Even when targeting a single species, fishing gear often traps and kills many others in the process, including animals of different species, the wrong sex, or juvenile individuals. While some bycatch may be sold, much of it is thrown back into the sea, already dead or unlikely to survive.

Bycatch is a widespread problem across all oceans, affecting everything from delicate corals to turtles, sharks, seabirds, and whales.

Several factors exacerbate the bycatch issue:

• Rising global demand for seafood. Over the last 50 years, the world’s population has roughly doubled, and average seafood consumption has increased significantly, placing greater pressure on fish stocks. 

• Disproportionate consumption of a small number of species. Tuna, salmon, cod, and prawns dominate global markets, while many perfectly edible species are discarded due to lack of demand.

•Poor fisheries management. Weak enforcement and policy loopholes can discourage the use of bycatch‑reduction devices and, in some cases, actively incentivise discarding unwanted catch.

• The scale of modern fishing methods. Industrial gear is extraordinarily efficient at catching wildlife but frustratingly ineffective at targeting only the intended species. Some trawl nets are large enough to enclose multiple jumbo jets, while longlines can stretch over 60 miles with thousands of baited hooks, attracting far more than their intended targets.

OVERFISHING

Overfishing occurs when marine species are removed from the ocean faster than populations can naturally replenish. Advances in technology, from navigation and detection to storage and vessel size, have enabled fishing fleets to travel further, fish deeper, and stay at sea longer than ever before.According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over a third of global marine fish stocks are now overfished, a dramatic increase from around 10% in the 1970s. At the same time, FAO projections suggest that aquatic animal production is expected to continue rising in the coming decade, further intensifying pressure on marine ecosystems.

The consequences are already visible. North Sea cod, once abundant and a staple of British fish and chips, has been repeatedly overfished, with scientists recommending severe quota reductions to prevent collapse. Pacific bluefin tuna populations have fallen to less than 5% of their pre‑fishing levels, alongside other heavily depleted species including Atlantic wild salmon, Indian Ocean swordfish, orange roughy, and Atlantic halibut.

The good news is that fish stocks can recover when fishing pressure is reduced – a powerful reminder that positive change is possible when action is taken.

GHOST FISHING NETS

All plastic pollution poses a threat to the ocean, but discarded fishing gear, often referred to as ghost gear, is particularly harmful. Lost or abandoned nets and lines continue to entangle and kill marine animals long after they are discarded, while also damaging reefs, increasing disease prevalence, and disrupting entire ecosystems.

The very qualities that make modern fishing gear effective – strength and durability – also mean it can persist in the ocean for hundreds of years. As it degrades, it breaks down into microplastics that can enter the food chain, posing risks to marine life and human health alike.

Ghost gear also has social and economic consequences, affecting navigation, tourism, and requiring significant time and resources to remove.

TAKE PART

Fish Free February is about progress, not perfection. By choosing to reduce or remove seafood from your diet for one month, you help reduce demand, start conversations, and support a growing movement calling for healthier oceans.

You can find out more, explore plant‑based recipes, and make the Fish Free February pledge at fishfreefebruary.com.

Small choices, made together, can create real impact for our blue planet.

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Sources

  • FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 2022 – State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture; overfishing, fish stock statistics, population trends, seafood production projections
  • WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), 2021 – Fishing and bycatch impacts
  • Marine Stewardship Council, 2022 – Bycatch and sustainable fisheries practices
  • Marine Conservation Society, 2023 – North Sea cod and regional fisheries information
  • Ghost Fishing Foundation, 2023 – Ghost gear impacts, entanglement, and removal
  • UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), 2022 – Marine plastics and microplastic impact on oceans
  • Fish Free February, 2026 – Campaign information, pledge, and plant-based alternatives

Images courtesy of Free Fish February/Carla Di Santo