ABSTRACT
As well as being of direct importance to human society as a food source and a basis for economic activity, fish populations also deliver important ecosystem services (Holmund and Hammer, 1999) including several that are fundamental to the health of the planet and ultimately to human society. Overexploitation of fish resources, and the large number of nontarget
species being caught worldwide along with the intended catch, puts these ecosystem services at risk and also reduces fish production, which may ultimately force the closure of otherwise profitable fisheries (Gaines and Costello, 2013: 15859) with consequent negative social and economic repercussions (UNEP, 2013).
