We are emptying the oceans of fish faster than most species can repopulate themselves. Proven management practices such as conservative catch limits, restrictions on fishing days or gear, and closing certain areas to fishing for years at a time have helped some depleted stocks recover, however. Political will to impose best practices is the key. International waters are poorly policed. In many national waters, scientists establish sustainable limits, but then for commercial or political reasons, “regulators decide those are not commercially high enough and raise them,” says Boris Worm, a biologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Illegal fishing raises the catch totals even higher.
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5 Comments
Add CommentDead Zones In US Waters Rise Dramatically
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAccording to a new Federal report, dead zones have increased dramatically in U.S. waters over the past 50 years, threatening ecosystems and fisheries nationwide http://www.newslook.com/videos/249363-dead-zones-in-us-waters-rise-dramatically?autoplay=true
Very effective chart for casual observation, but not completely explained: is the lower boundary curve the harvested tonnage, perhaps?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt seems encouraging that an overharvested species may recover if effective controls are implemented, but what effect does a genetic bottleneck have on the long term viability of a species?
I wonder what happened after the mid 70's that allow the rebound of the Chilean Sea Bass...only to be wiped out again in the early 90's...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWould someone be awesome enough to write a one paragraph summary on this article?! P&TY!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCompelling dataset, and I love the figure despite its unconventional lower boundary curves.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt would be great if your online articles included direct links to the data sources, or even just complete references rather than a nod to the organizations providing the data.