While overfishing is a problem in coastal areas and the deep oceans around the world, it's becoming an increasing problem in South Africa. In this area, serial overfishing – or overfishing of one type of fish after another – has left species like the musselcracker and red steenbras seriously depleted, so much so that what is left of them now represents 5% or less of what the original populations used to be.

Luckily, the South African Association for Marine Biological Research has started taking steps forward towards making overfishing less of a problem. In this area of the world, it's even more important to combat overfishing, since a declining fish population could mean serious troubles for the South African economy, some of which is based on fisheries that supply the rest of the world with fish.

While many areas are looking at ways to grow fish sustainably rather than catching them from the ocean, some of the best solutions for South Africa's overfishing problem may simply be new fishing techniques or old fishing techniques revived.

One solution that has recently been tried in America notes that a catch share system, in which fishermen and fisheries are given an allotted share of a scientifically pre-determined amount of fish to be caught throughout the season. Fishermen can buy and sell shares in order to make a profit, and the fishery ends up being able to reward fishermen who work for a lower cost and get a better product. Catch share programs give individual fishermen a vested interest in the fishing population in their area, which means everyone is working together to combat overfishing. Such solutions have worked well on American coastlines, and they may be a great solution for South Africa to combine with these four sustainable fishing methods.

1. 1. Hook and Lining

This is what you usually think of when you think of fishing at a lake on a summer's day. In professional pole catching, several hooks are used on the same pole, so fishing becomes more efficient. This is sustainable because by-catch – or species that the fisherman doesn't intend to catch for sale – can be released as soon as they are caught.

1. 2. Traps

Generally, traps are environmentally friendly because they, too, can be created to target certain types of fish. For instance, they're used often in the Northwest to fish for salmon, and by-catch ends up being minimal. One instance in which traps are a bad idea is when wire-mesh traps along the ocean bottom are dragged during use, which can damage fragile ecosystems on the ocean floor.

1. 3. Harpooning

Larger fish species, such as swordfish, can be caught by hand-thrown harpoons or barbs fired from a gun. This type of fishing is sustainable because it results in virtually no by-catch, since the harpooning fisherman is aiming at one specific fish.

1. 4. Trolling

This is another way of catching fish on a line, but instead of fishing by hand, the lines are thrown from the back of a slow-moving boat. Sometimes trolling ends up getting some by-catch, but it can quickly be released with minimal damage, keeping the ecosystem more balanced in the long run.

How can you help?

Even if you aren't a South African fisherman, you can help combat the ills of overfishing in several ways. Here's what you can do to help with the problem of overfishing around the world:

1. Buy sustainable seafood. There are lots of ways to buy seafood that's more sustainable, and you can find lots of great seafood guides online that tell you which seafood is caught in the most environmentally friendly way. You can even go out of your way to support certain sustainable fisheries by purchasing from certain seafood brands.
2. Buy seafood in season. You know that buying fruits and vegetables in season is more environmentally friendly, but the same thing goes for buying fish. Buying in-season seafood helps keep overfishing down by keeping the demand for that particular seafood high only when its catch is naturally high.
3. Eat different types of seafood. Eating only one type of seafood is a huge contributor to overfishing, since the market and fishing techniques go with supply and demand.
4. Support sustainability groups. You can support groups that support sustainability in fishing and other areas in many ways. One option is to choose a credit card that gives your rewards to environmentally friendly non-profits rather than back to your wallet. Many of these cards even allow you to choose the organization that gets your points or cash back dollars, so you can choose to support sustainable fishing and marine research that will lead to even more sustainable fishing techniques.
5. Support the right restaurants. If you're heading for an evening out, think twice about which restaurant you choose for seafood. Check online to find a seafood restaurant near you that specializes in making meals out of seasonal, sustainably-fished seafood. Just by supporting these restaurants locally, you can have a huge impact on seafood consumption at the restaurant level!

These are just a few things you can do in order to support sustainable fishing, in South Africa and around the rest of the world.