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.
jelly fish are great in peanut butter sandwiches!
Did you really tell the poor fishes to run for their lives, because of this here story of Dr. Worm ?
There's a hook !
Why fish in the ocean when there's plenty of fish in the reservoir?
Note: Photograph altered to meet the standards of FR Church Lady moderators. (:^D)
If environmentalists, environmentalist charities, and those inclined to give money and other resources to them want to do something worthwhile, they will stop harrassing property owners; stop supporting the Left; stop empowering Leftist morons, sociopaths, power-hungry bullies, and brainless burocrats and mindless "environmentalists" (who LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the ENVIRONNNNMENNNNNNT but are too stupid to do anything but gaze into space and give their support to Leftist sociopaths, bullies, and morons); and channel resources into realistic strategies--especially research--holding promise of causing valuable sea life to fluorish.
My wife and I are ex-"environmentalists".
We are vegetarians. We do not allow hunting or fishing on our property. We recycle regularly. We take extraordinary measures to protect the natural environment. This is a major consideration for us at all times.
We FORMERLY supported the "Environmentalist Movement". That was before we found out who was running it and what their harebrained and/or nefarious intentions are.
I am now an anti-"Environmentalist".
This is my rule of thumb:
~They Might Be Giants, Dr. Worm
Damn, I'm gonna miss stuffed crab. Wait a minute-2050 you say? Never mind, I'll be dead by then.
Betcha they had to carry that haddock off on a gurnard.
If the democrats win any majorities in November we will be really and truly scrod.
" THE WORLD WILL RUN OUT OF CRACKPOT SCIENTISTS BY THE YEAR 2025 --ACADEMIA HIT HARDEST!"
LOL!
No but we've lost our soles only to flounder hopelessly.
It's a quagmire I tell you!
whenmever I thnk of democrats, I don't think quagmire - I think morass!
Umm correct me if I am wrong. But won't global warming cause the sea levels to rise? If this happens wouldn't we have more habitat for the little fishies?
So to avert the upcoming NO FISH tragedy should we burn more fossil fuels and go back to aerosol sprays? Guess so.
All of it, huh? Are they giving out science degrees with a fill-up of petrol these days?
I found a perch
To sit my bass
Then found a worm
In the grass
I'd pick it up
If I cod
But then I heard
The voice of God
He wore a Badge
It said DNR
He said you can't
Possess that gar
It's a bass, you ass
I tried to explain
Its fins and scales
Make that plain
So he wrote a ticket
For holding a gar
Then drove in the lake
While in his car
Save me!
I'll make you rich
I said I haddock
You son...
(I better quit here)
Time to hit the buffet at Red Lobster!
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