ABSTRACT
Global fisheries policies are aimed at food security and a sustainable level of stocks for the future and farmed fish are seen as one way to reduce pressure on the wild stocks. This chapter describes the fishing industry and its role in the Blue Economy. It examines the market for fish including the policy ambition of food security and the consumption of fish as an important part of diet. The catch fishing sector can be divided and classified into a number of sub-sectors each with its own characteristics and lifecycle. The chapter describes the working environment of fisheries, including safety, because fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, the nature of fishing communities and the pressure on labour supply. It looks at investors and investment, private and public. Some sectors of the industry continue to attract substantial private investment into large and technologically advanced vessels and methods.
