Friday, June 26, 2009

Fisheries imperiled (but there's still a chance)

The recovery of the world's fisheries probably requires global governance, because the world has to be patrolled for poaching and a lot of areas would have to be set aside as reserves for stock recovery. The chances of that happening are bleak. The article linked below lays out the sad situation.

How Can The World's Fisheries Be Sustainable?

"The world's fisheries are one of the most important natural assets to humankind," says lead author Camilo Mora, a Colombian researcher at Dalhousie University and the University of California San Diego. "Unfortunately, our use of the world's fisheries has been excessive and has led to the decline or collapse of many stocks."

"The consequences of overexploiting the world's fisheries are a concern not only for food security and socio-economic development but for ocean ecosystems," says Boris Worm, a professor at Dalhousie University and co-author of the paper. "We now recognize that overfishing can also lead to the erosion of biodiversity and ecosystem productivity."

"The different socioeconomic and ecological consequences associated with declining fish stocks are an international concern and several initiatives have been put forward to ensure that countries improve the way they use their marine resources," explains Mora.
That's great. But the initiatives have to implemented -- and continued. Is that going to happen?

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