Rethinking the Narrative on Overfishing and Ocean Health
When it comes to the global conversation about our oceans, few voices are as consistently evidence-driven — and sometimes provocatively counter to popular narratives — as fisheries scientist Ray Hilborn.
Over decades of research, interviews, and public talks, Hilborn has challenged over-simplified crisis headlines, advocated for science-based fisheries management, and urged a more balanced view that includes both ecological and human needs. Please see Ray’s information and blog at https://rayhblog.wordpress.com/
From his nuanced analysis of overfishing to his critique of David Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’, Hilborn’s message is clear: the oceans are under pressure, but the solutions require accuracy, adaptability, and the courage to look beyond one-size-fits-all fixes.
Overfishing: The Problem — and the Progress
Hilborn is quick to clarify a fundamental distinction often lost in media headlines:
- Overfishing = catching fish faster than they can replenish.
- Overfished = fish populations so low they can’t support current harvest levels.
Why does this matter? Because many fisheries once overfished are now recovering — thanks to strong governance, catch limits, and gear improvements. Globally, the FAO (2025) estimates that about 35% of stocks are over-exploited, which Hilborn reframes as 65% are not.
Countries such as the U.S., New Zealand, Iceland, and Norway demonstrate that science-based fisheries management works. Stocks can rebuild, and in many cases, are healthier today than in past decades. When considering global fisheries production by volume, 77.2% of total landings come from stocks deemed biologically sustainable (FAO 2025)—meaning the majority of fish consumed still comes from well-managed fisheries, even as overfishing continues to threaten more than a third of assessed stocks.
Hilborn reminds us that fishing pressure is only part of the story and nature still ‘calls the shots’. Climate and environmental variability often drive big swings in fish abundance — as seen with California sardines in the 1950s. Stopping overfishing can set the stage for recovery, but nature’s cycles and habitat conditions determine how fast (or if) stocks bounce back.
Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’: Praise and Pushback
When Sir David Attenborough’s documentary ‘Ocean’ hit screens, Hilborn applauded its passion and power, but felt the proposed solutions were too narrow.
The film heavily promotes Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) — no-take zones — as a primary fix. Hilborn cautions that:
- MPAs don’t stop threats like pollution, runoff, or climate change.
- In some cases, closing one area to fishing just shifts pressure elsewhere.
- Many fisheries recover faster through targeted management than blanket closures.
He points to whale conservation as a perfect example — it succeeded through a direct ban on whaling, not by cordoning off 30% of the ocean.
Management Successes That Deserve More Credit
Hilborn highlights practical gains in modern fisheries:
- Bycatch reductions: dolphin mortality in tuna fisheries down 98%, seabird bycatch cut by 50–90%, turtle bycatch reduced by up to 98%.
- Rebuilt stocks: bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod, Pacific salmon recovering in well-managed systems.
For him, these wins prove that regulation plus innovation can deliver both environmental and economic outcomes.
Balancing Ecology, Economy, and Communities
Hilborn often critiques policies that ignore the human side of fisheries. He warns that “underfishing” — harvesting well below sustainable limits — can mean lost jobs, food, and revenue without significantly improving ocean health. In the U.S., he notes about 9% of potential yield is lost to overfishing, but 30% is lost to underfishing.
He calls for management frameworks that measure success not only in biomass targets, but also in food security, livelihoods, and cultural continuity.
On Science, Funding, and Trust
Hilborn has faced — and addressed — criticism for accepting industry funding. Investigations cleared him of wrongdoing, and he remains transparent: responsible fishing industries have a vested interest in long-term sustainability, and their support helps fund essential science. The key, he insists, is open data and peer-reviewed results.
A Call for Smarter Conservation
Across his career, Hilborn has pushed for a move from blanket prescriptions to targeted, science-led action:
- Use MPAs strategically, not universally.
- Address non-fishing threats with the right tools.
- Celebrate and learn from countries with successful management.
- Keep people — and the seafood they rely on — in the conservation equation.
Final Word:
Ray Hilborn’s work challenges us to step beyond emotional narratives and adopt an informed, nuanced view of ocean health. The oceans need protection but they also need policies that respect both ecosystems and the people who depend on them. His optimism is rooted not in wishful thinking, but in decades of data showing that, with the right tools, we can fish — and thrive — for generations to come.
Let us not forget:
Fish/seafood has been around a long time – here is a recipe from the 3rd century thanks to Professor S. Douglas Olson of the University of Minnesota, editor of an English edition of Deipnosophistae, prefers The Learned Banqueters
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/eat-like-a-greek-philosopher-oldest-fish-recipe
Ancient Greek Grilled Fish with Cheese
Adapted from Deipnosophistae by Athenaeus, written in the 3rd century
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 30 minutes
- 2 servings
Ingredients
- 1 whole mackerel (about 12 - 18 inches), or 2 unsalted mackerel fillets
- 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil, plus more for topping
- About 1/3 of a cup grated hard, salty cheese, preferably sheep’s milk, such as Italian pecorino Romano or Greek kefalograviera
- 2 tablespoons wine vinegar (white or red)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered asafetida (Available at South Asian grocery stores, this oniony spice substitutes for extinct silphium or laser, which Athenaeus complained was overused in fish recipes)
- Fish sauce or salt to taste
Instructions
1. Lay fish flat in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.
2. Rub fish with olive oil on both sides.
3. Sprinkle grated cheese over fish.
4. Bake fish at 400°F for 20 minutes. When the fish is done, the eyes will turn white, and the flesh will be easily separated with a fork.
5. Remove fish from the oven and allow it to rest for a few minutes.
6. Top fish with more olive oil.
7. Sprinkle fish with wine vinegar, marjoram, salt or fish sauce, and asafetida.
Notes and Tips
In Deipnosophistae, Athenaeus records several recipes for fish baked or grilled with a grated cheese topping, a specialty of Classical-era Greek cities in southern Italy. One of these, from a lost fifth-century BC cookbook by a Sicilian chef named Mithaecus, is the oldest-known recipe in Greek, and the earliest recipe by a named author.
Mithaecus put cheese on the eel-like ribbonfish; other known recipes used cheese for parrotfish, wolf-fish, or mackerel, which is the only one of these fish to be widely available today. Caraway seed is another seasoning found in some of these recipes.
In the 3rd century it is estimated there may have been 150-200 million people on our planet (something like 5 Tokyo’s in today’s numbers) with approximately fifty percent being in the Roman Empire.