Sustainable fishing means leaving enough fish in the ocean, respecting habitats and ensuring people who depend on fishing can maintain their livelihoods. When sustainable fishing practices are not taken part in, our marine life is impacted in many ways including: decreasing the population of fish, disruption of a reef's food web and ecosystem, impact on the fish size and species composition. The main causes of these impacts are overfishing and by-catch.

By-catch consists of two different types. There is marine bay catch and unintentional by-catch. Marine by-catch is when animals such as dugongs, dolphins, sharks, birds and other marine life is unintentionally caught in fishing methods such as gillnets and longlines. The wildlife is not retained and as a result die. Unintentional by-catch is when marine is unintentionally caught and released either damaged or dead.

Overfishing is when more fish are caught and taken than the rate that the fish can reproduce. An Australian Government analysis showed that 17.5% of Australian fish stocks are overfished. Some of the most loved species are nearly endangered or have become endangered due to overfishing.

This petition if signed enough will make a drastic impact as this is a very harsh and destructive practice that is taken out daily.