If science is not the answer, what is? An alternative governance model for the world's fisheries

Worldwide, management of fisheries has repeatedly failed, despite substantial investment in scientific research, primarily in the natural sciences. We argue that the way in which ecosystems are viewed and the lack of explicit consideration of three key elements – corporate responsibility, social justice, and ethics –have contributed to this dismal history. Here, we turn classical ecosystem thinking on its head, proposing an alternative image of an “inverted trophic pyramid” that places humans at the bottom. The inverted pyramid encapsulates ecosystem-based management and the interdependent relationship between humans and the ecosystem. It requires business incentives, ethics, and a balance of power to prevent the pyramid from toppling and to avert a crisis.