Marine fisheries and ocean biodiversity are inseparable. Overfishing is one of the biggest threats to marine biodiversity, but sustainable fisheries management can reverse this trend, providing social, cultural and economic incentives for people to maintain healthy ecosystems. Evidence shows that when fisheries are managed sustainably, measurable benefits extend beyond the target species to the wider marine ecosystem. As countries develop and implement national fisheries commitments, their effectiveness will shape food security, coastal economies, and marine biodiversity to 2030 and beyond. We analyzed 812 fisheries-related commitments across 74 updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs), assessing measurability, policy grounding, thematic breadth, and alignment with Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Targets.

Key Findings

  • 100% of updated coastal NBSAPs include at least one fisheries commitment; 60% of these commitments include a measurable target or deadline; 27% directly reference a policy or governance mechanism for implementation; 13% reference both
  • Commitments span 22 of 23 GBF Targets, showing that fisheries are relevant beyond the target that names them. Nearly half (47%) sit under Target 10 on sustainable fisheries, followed by Target 5 on sustainable harvest of wild species (17%). Others, like Target 18 on reducing harmful subsidies (3%) and Target 16 on sustainable consumption (less than 1%), remain largely underused.
  • Although market forces strongly shape fishing and biodiversity, just 10% of commitments address the economics of fishing. Only 5% focus on small-scale fisheries, despite one in every twelve people relying at least in part on it for their livelihoods.
  • Lower-income countries more often set measurable targets with fewer direct links to existing laws or policies. Higher-income countries more frequently anchor commitments in existing policy frameworks but include fewer measurable metrics or specific deadlines. No group consistently does both.
  • Where fisheries commitments address equity, most focus on the participation and rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in fisheries management. Fewer address gender equality or set equitable outcomes, such as how benefits are shared. This leaves opportunity for future NBSAPs to build on GBF Targets 22 and 23.

Executive Summary

Overfishing is a primary driver of marine biodiversity loss, and sustainable fisheries management is recognized as a valuable tool for conservation, providing the social, cultural, and economic incentives for people to maintain healthy ecosystems. Sustainable fisheries management, which includes mechanisms like habitat protection and bycatch reduction, generates measurable biodiversity benefits beyond the target species. How specific and institutionally grounded national fisheries commitments are will shape outcomes for food systems, coastal economies, and the trajectory of marine biodiversity to 2030 and beyond.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) requires countries to align national targets, actions, and monitoring with 23 global targets. Previous analyses have consistently found marine and fisheries commitments underrepresented in national strategies compared to terrestrial sectors. The 74 finalized updated coastal plans (as of September 28, 2026), offer the first chance to assess the depth and quality of fisheries integration at the global scale.

Governments should connect commitments to specific targets, timelines, baselines, and relevant policy. Ground commitments in fisheries laws, management plans, and financing pathways to give them institutional permanence, and align with the GBF monitoring framework for transparent progress sharing. Industry and market actors should work with governments to identify and pursue opportunities where sustainable fisheries management delivers shared gains for both biodiversity and long-term supply chain resilience. Implementation partners and funders should build on the measurable commitments countries are making by strengthening the policy and monitoring systems needed to deliver them, including results frameworks that connect activities, responsible institutions, financing, and ecological and social indicators.