Snapper populations are now well below the ‘target’ sustainable level of 20% of unfished populations.

For many species, populations are so low that fishers are no longer able to hit the total allowable commercial catch. Crayfish catches are now at the lowest levels since 1980 and a large recently discovered scallop bed collapsed after just three years of harvest. Destructive methods such as bottom trawling, Danish seining and scallop dredging are still being used.