80% of the world’s ocean fish species have been over-exploited and are in rapid decline, according to three new reports. Overfishing, climate change, acidification, agricultural runoff and, most interestingly, U.S. taxpayer subsidies are responsible for the steep drop in fish populations.
From The Daily Green:
The U.N. Food and Agriculture’s State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture concludes that about 50% of all marine fish stocks are being “fully exploited” — meaning they are being fished at or near sustainable limits. Another 19% are overexploited, 8% depleted and 1% recovering from depletion.
Oceana, meanwhile, has released a report, Hungry Oceans (pdf), predicting the collapse of the ocean ecosystem because of overfishing of the smallest fish in the ocean. These prey species were considered so abundant, and so quick to replenish their own numbers, that depletion wasn’t a concern. We have proved that theory wrong, particularly as the world has begun catching more small fish — not only for direct human consumption, but to feed fish in aquaculture operations.
Finally, the most detailed financial analysis of its kind, by the Lenfest Ocean Program, finds that roughly half the $713 million in annual U.S. fishing subsidies contributes to overfishing by encouraging the targeting of overexploited fish stocks. Among the interesting other findings of the analysis: most subsidies come in the form of tax breaks on fossil fuels, and Western Pacific fishermen receive more than 20% of all subsidies, but catch just 2% of fish sold in the U.S.
What does the loss of fish in the oceans mean to us? Well, for starters, it greatly disturbs the food chain that we rely on for survival. And the situation is deteriorating frighteningly quickly. Catastrophic loss of fish species is close at hand – 29% of species have been fished so heavily that they’re down to 10% of their previous population levels. If we keep doing the same things that have caused these problems, we could see a 100% collapse in fish stock by mid-century. That, obviously, would spell disaster for the entire world.
Link [The Daily Green]
