Posted on 11/03/2006 2:34:31 AM PST by familyop
The world's stocks of seafood will have collapsed by 2050 at present rates of destruction by fishing, scientists said yesterday.
A four-year study of 7,800 marine species around the world's ecosystems has concluded that the long-term trend is clear and predictable.
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By 2048, to be exact, catches of all the presently fished seafoods will have declined on average by more than 90 per cent since 1950.
The study, by an international group of ecologists and economists, says the loss of biodiversity impairs the ability of oceans to feed the world's growing human population — expected to rise by 50 per cent to nine billion in 2050.
Over-fishing also sabotages the stability of marine environments, profoundly reducing the ocean's ability to produce seafood, resist diseases, filter pollutants and rebound from stresses such as climate change.
Every species matters when it comes to the ocean's ability to repair itself, says the study, published in this week's Science magazine.
Dr Boris Worm, of Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, the lead author, said: "This is what is projected, not predicted, to happen. I am confident we will not go there because we will do something about it. But if this trend continues in this predictable fashion, as it has for the last 50 years, the world's currently fished seafoods will have reached what we define as collapse by 2048.
"Every year a higher percentage of the currently fished stocks has collapsed. We are losing it piece by piece."
Prof Callum Roberts, of the University of York, who was not involved in the study, said: "The animals and plants that inhabit the sea are not merely embellishments to be wondered at. They are essential to the health of the oceans and well-being of human society."
The scientists found that in 12 regions, which include the Wadden Sea, the shallow part of the North Sea, 38 per cent of exploited marine species of all kinds, including birds, had collapsed in the past 1,000 years while seven per cent was extinct. Some 29 per cent had collapsed since 1950.
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Dr Worm said the decline of cod on the Scotian shelf, off Canada, had led to changes throughout the ecosystem. But there was some good news in the paper.
Dr Worm said there was evidence that wherever protective measures were taken, species recovered rapidly and could cope better with problems such as global warming.
The catch per unit of effort — the standard scientific way of measuring fishing activity — goes up four-fold.
As wild fish stocks decline, farmed fish is expected to take over. Some 43 per cent of fish consumed is already farmed, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
But it warned that fish farming would struggle to maintain even present levels of production because the small wild fish that are fed to farmed species are being over-fished.
Willie Mackenzie, of Greenpeace, said: "This report confirms the scale of the crisis our oceans are facing. It's clear that fish and chips will be off the menu within our lifetimes if we don't act now.
"We need to ban destructive fishing practices and create a network of large-scale marine reserves around not just Britain, but globally".
Despite the problem of the oceans being on a time-scale comparable to global warming, the Government appears to have scrapped plans to introduce its promised Marine Bill in the Queen's Speech this month, the environmental group WWF said yesterday.
"If the rate of over-fishing continues, the world's currently fished seafoods will have reached what is defined as collapse by 2048."
Gonna turn my pool into a bass pond.
Disagree with them and they get really crabby.
Wow. Are you Ted Turner?
lol...
Poast#43 and no one has said "minorities and children hit hardest".
My father and I have been stocking bass and minnows in ponds and creeks without permission for as long as I can remember.
Sayonara Charlie Tuna, we hardly knew ye.
I like that slogan but why should you get fish when the rest of the people in the cities can't? You don't deserve fish if we all can't have fish./sarc
I'm heading out next weekend to target Specs, Flounder and Drum. Gotta get'em while they're still here!
Yea, but Jelly fish will get you! Can we extinct Jelly fish? I hate the transparent stingers!
"I'm heading out next weekend to target Specs, Flounder and Drum. Gotta get'em while they're still here!"
So, it's YOUR fault! OCEAN KILLER!!!
Tripe!
We have enough lakes in the US to feed ourselves for generations. Add in farm raised fish which most of us eat anyway.
Then again, with global warming killing us first, this story is even funnier.
Let them eat cake.
Oh! Oh! Chicken little! The sky is falling!
Good.
I hate sushi and canned sardines anyway.
Sushi, because it is a waste of good fishing bait.
Sardines, because they didn't remember to close their little eyes before they sealed up the can.
Oh well, guess it is salmon, trout and crawdad for me. The horror.
I'm gonna buy a freezer for my garage and stock up on seafood now. Why wait till 2050?
Poor Mr. Limpet....
Buy a man a fish and he will eat for a day
Teach a man to fish and he will destroy the world's ecosystems by 2050
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