Leading ocean experts have called for an overhaul of sustainable fishing practices, warning the current system is "dangerously flawed".

The plea comes as part of a study published in the journal Ocean Sustainability, led by researchers from the University of Southampton, alongside colleagues from the UK and the US.

The team has outlined 11 "golden rules" aimed at rejuvenating fish populations to ensure food security for future generations.

The rules advocate for measures such as restricting the size of fishing vessels and equipment, integrating ecosystem protection into fisheries management, and putting an end to "harmful subsidies" to fisheries.

Other recommendations include reducing fishing activity for lower-impact methods, sourcing from well-governed and sustainably stocked fisheries, and protecting the most vulnerable species and areas.

The researchers also urge the termination of fisheries that violate human rights and threaten the livelihoods of local populations.

They argue that current sustainability standards favour high-capital industrial practices beneficial to the Global North, which harm ecosystems and jeopardise artisanal fishing, food security, and jobs.

The paper calls on policymakers, retailers, and fishery managers to recognise the shortcomings of present fishing methods and to prioritise the adoption of the proposed golden rules, with supermarkets playing a "pivotal role" in the transition.

Professor Paul Kemp, from the University of Southampton and a co-author of the paper, said: "This initiative brought together a diverse group of experts, including those from fisheries science, social sciences, economics and conservation.

"By doing so we were able to develop a roadmap to move away from the traditional view of fisheries that tends to focus on the social and economic context of those who utilise them.

"Sustainability, however, requires the integration of the social, economic and environmental domains. This paper provides a manifesto that will help secure our fisheries for sustainable exploitation by future generations."

Lead author Professor Callum Roberts, of the University of Exeter, said: "The current concept of ‘sustainable fishing’, adopted by governments and private actors since the post-war period, is scientifically obsolete.

"It relies on a simplistic, productivist theory which assumes that as long as global catch volumes remain below a set limit, anyone can fish just about anything, anywhere, with any method."