Spank the Captain

Past civilizations fished sustainably.  Why can't we? 

Maybe it's because they used corporal punishment to enforce the rules.  Naturally, Eco Ocean is not advocating such measures except maybe for those people who...no, no, just kidding.

But stricter rules and active enforcement in fisheries go a long way.

Scientists Loren McClenachan from Colby College and Jack Kittinger from Stanford who studied sustainable fishing from long ago caution that effective enforcement needs to go hand in hand with the development of local governance, according to Red Orbit.

“The ancient Hawaiians punished transgressors with corporal punishment. Clearly, we don’t recommend this, but it’s easy to see there’s room to tighten up today’s enforcement efforts,” said Kittinger.