The Red Sea Fisheries - Threats and Proposed Solutions

Abstract

The global oceans and seas are broadly balkanized into 66 large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs), and the Red Sea is the number 33 of these LMEs. Moreover, they provide job opportunities for millions of people and generate about three-quarters of the world fish production annually. The Red Sea (LME#33) is believed to be the saltiest and warmest sea among these LMEs. The main aim of this paper is to suggest policy solutions as proper planning strategies for the Red Sea countries to restore the depleted naturally fish stocks and to sustain natural fisheries stocks to achieve socio-economic and environmental goals in the coming years. The methodology used in this research is a merge of descriptive and analytical approach. The analytical research focusses on the main causes and losses that led to depleting natural fisheries stocks in the Red Sea such as (overfishing, Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, coastal development, and climate change). This research analyses the data collected from the literature and the SWOT analysis outcomes to investigate the current status-quo and to propose alternative solutions for the natural fish stock depletion in the Red Sea.