West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Train of Thought => Topic started by: Immortal on May 22, 2003, 12:02:17 AM
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(CNN) -- A new global study concludes that 90 percent of all large fishes have disappeared from the world's oceans in the past half century, the devastating result of industrial fishing.
The study, which took 10 years to complete and was published in the international journal Nature this week, paints a grim picture of the Earth's current populations of such species as sharks, swordfish, tuna and marlin.
The authors used data going back 47 years from nine oceanic and four continental shelf systems, ranging from the tropics to the Antarctic. Whether off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, or in the Gulf of Thailand, the findings were dire, according to the authors.
"I think the point is there is nowhere left in the ocean not overfished," said Ransom Myers, a fisheries biologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and lead author of the study.
Some in the fishing industry took issue with the tone of the report.
"I'm sure there are areas of the world with that level of depletion, but other areas are in good shape," said Lorne Clayton, with the Canadian Highly Migratory Species Foundation, a foundation that supports the sustainable development of the tuna industry.
He said some abuses of the past have ended: Long drift nets are illegal, untended longlines are illegal, and many countries adhere to elaborate systems of licensing, quotas and third party observers working on boats.
Yet Clayton agreed that there remains much room for improvement.
"It's important to keep these issues in front of the public. That puts pressure on the fisheries and agencies to keep cleaning up their act," he said.
According to the report, the big declines in the numbers of large fishes began when industrial fishing started in the early 1950s.
"Whether it is yellowfin tuna in the tropics, bluefin in cold waters, or albacore tuna in between, the pattern is always the same. There is a rapid decline of fish numbers," Myers said.
Co-author Boris Worm said the losses are having major impacts on the ocean ecosystems.
The predatory fish are like "the lions and tigers of the sea," said Worm, a marine ecologist with the Institute for Marine Science in Kiel, Germany.
"The changes that will occur due to the decline of these species are hard to predict and difficult to understand. However, they will occur on a global scale, and I think this is the real reason for concern."
Going the way of the dinosaurs?
In many cases, the fish numbers plummeted fastest during the first years after fleets moved into new areas, often before anyone knew the drops were taking place.
A few decades ago, longline fishing would catch about 10 big fish per 100 hooks. Now the norm is one fish per 100, with fish about half the weight of earlier years, Myers said.
Longlining, among the most widespread of fishing methods, uses miles of baited hooks to catch a wide range of species.
Myers warned that the world's great fish could go the way of the dinosaurs if immediate action is not taken.
Humans have always been very good at killing big animals.
-- Ransom Myers
"Humans have always been very good at killing big animals," Myers said. "Ten thousand years ago, with just some pointed sticks, humans managed to wipe out the woolly mammoth, saber tooth tigers, mastodons and giant vampire bats. The same could happen in the oceans."
Some representatives of the fishing industry say the picture is not as bleak as the Nature authors indicate.
"For tuna, the analysis is restricted to data from longline fisheries that catch only relatively old individuals, which comprise a small part of the stock," said Robin Allen, of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission.
According to the commission, a greater reduction would be expected in that age-group compared to the tuna stock as a whole.
Worm said he hopes this "big picture" study of the world's fish populations will serve as a wake up call to governments, global fishing conglomerates and environmental groups.
"People haven't before seen how bad this is," said Worm. "It doesn't make any sense, economically or ecologically, to ignore this."
Solutions in the water
While the numbers are alarming, Worm said there are solutions.
In the past when certain fishing areas have been declared off limits and fishing restrictions have been enforced, certain fish and shellfish populations rebounded "amazingly quickly," he said.
Haddock, yellowtail and scallops have recovered in different regions.
"The ocean is full of surprises," Worm said. But with numbers down so dramatically in every part of the world, the situation cannot be ignored for long, he said.
Myers said many of the world's fishing commissions and governments have tried to wish away the problem for years. Reversing the decline, he suggested, would require cutting back fishing by as much as 60 percent.
Clayton said that technological advances were already responsible for improvements. Hi-tech equipment on fleets from many developed countries reduce the by-catch, the fish and other animals caught as by-products of the target fish.
But a huge technological gap still exists between the fishing fleets of rich and poor nations, Clayton said.
He said it makes economic sense for the fishing industry to adhere to conservation measures, and to look at the expansion of aquaculture (fish farming) as part of the answer to dwindling fish numbers.
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wtf are we doing to this earth? We need to fukin control this overfishing somehow. Already 90% of fish are depleted. Now when its 10%, its a big problem to the globe...obviously but why the hell have humans been so demanding? Grow vegetables instead of eating meat i should add.
We must control this somehow before its too late.
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yeah we do need to do something about this BS...most of da fish are extinct from the oecan, and recently (the last century) we made more species extinct than all the centuries combined(after jesus's birth) or something crazy like dat...
My professors theory, which I agree wit, iz that the main problem iz overpopulation..if we reduced da population of earth and educated em about this shit we could really do something to limit this destruction.
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yeah we do need to do something about this BS...most of da fish are extinct from the oecan, and recently (the last century) we made more species extinct than all the centuries combined(after jesus's birth) or something crazy like dat...
My professors theory, which I agree wit, iz that the main problem iz overpopulation..if we reduced da population of earth and educated em about this shit we could really do something to limit this destruction.
Absolutely true.The coming of man on this earth has had terrible consequences. It seems likely we've been extirpating animals ever since something like 50,000 years ago.I guess there hasn't been a single year since then that no species have gone extinct. The Pacific ocean wich has a awful lot of small islands has been estimated to have lost 2,000 species of birds in the period man first spread through this region and settled on islands..........and many others might follow them soon.Same destruction of species holds true to the Caribean,the Mascarenes and Madagascar.(And probably elsewhere as well)
Yet I'd like to get children and I think most people here want so as well.
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yeah we do need to do something about this BS...most of da fish are extinct from the oecan, and recently (the last century) we made more species extinct than all the centuries combined(after jesus's birth) or something crazy like dat...
My professors theory, which I agree wit, iz that the main problem iz overpopulation..if we reduced da population of earth and educated em about this shit we could really do something to limit this destruction.
Absolutely true.The coming of man on this earth has had terrible consequences. It seems likely we've been extirpating animals ever since something like 50,000 years ago.I guess there hasn't been a single year since then that no species have gone extinct. The Pacific ocean wich has a awful lot of small islands has been estimated to have lost 2,000 species of birds in the period man first spread through this region and settled on islands..........and many others might follow them soon.Same destruction of species holds true to the Caribean,the Mascarenes and Madagascar.(And probably elsewhere as well)
Yet I'd like to get children and I think most people here want so as well.
Well a certain level of species extinction is NORMAL, I mean since the beginning of time species have been going extinct(ex: dinosaurs), and you cann't really expect that not to happen...but my point was that in the recent 100 years this rate has increased greatly :-\
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The rate's been increasing ever since the late Pleistocene (somewhat like 50,000 years ago) though it's probably much higher now then say,4,000 years ago,both are way above average. As for dinosaurs (the non-birds,that is.... ;D) they died out in times when extinction rates were much higher as well.(That's what happens if a enormous asteroid hits the earth) We could expect several thousands species of dinosaur when the asteroid hit,none might have been left 3 months later. So extinction rates were verrrrry high then as well.But I'm getting off subject here.Point is,humans are the worst creatures ever to evolve. We're responsible for the destruction of the earth and all organisms. So regarding that,I definately agree with you,but I'm sure you already noticed that :D ;).
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The rate's been increasing ever since the late Pleistocene (somewhat like 50,000 years ago) though it's probably much higher now then say,4,000 years ago,both are way above average. As for dinosaurs (the non-birds,that is.... ;D) they died out in times when extinction rates were much higher as well.(That's what happens if a enormous asteroid hits the earth) We could expect several thousands species of dinosaur when the asteroid hit,none might have been left 3 months later. So extinction rates were verrrrry high then as well.But I'm getting off subject here.Point is,humans are the worst creatures ever to evolve. We're responsible for the destruction of the earth and all organisms. So regarding that,I definately agree with you,but I'm sure you already noticed that :D ;).
yeah of course we had certain periods of high extinction but the thing that sets the current one apart iz that one species is causing the destruction of the earth and a lot of other species, which iz something new, and bad 2.
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there have been periods of high extinction althroughout earths history. The first major extinction event was when Bacteria were gettin killed because Oxygen was not present in the atmosphere at that time. Oxygen was emerging and all of the early bacteria died..The second major extinction event happened when A super volcano in where Siberia is today Exploded leavin an area the size of asia in lava and ash..This event put a cloud of darkness over the earth and suffocated the animals because of the rich sulfur dioxide. the third was when the asteriod hit and killed the dinosaurs. The forth will happen. No one knows when. Extinction is normal and part of nature.99% or organisms that were on earth are extinct..All of the organisms on earth right now are the last 1 percent.
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there have been periods of high extinction althroughout earths history. The first major extinction event was when Bacteria were gettin killed because Oxygen was not present in the atmosphere at that time. Oxygen was emerging and all of the early bacteria died..The second major extinction event happened when A super volcano in where Siberia is today Exploded leavin an area the size of asia in lava and ash..This event put a cloud of darkness over the earth and suffocated the animals because of the rich sulfur dioxide. the third was when the asteriod hit and killed the dinosaurs. The forth will happen. No one knows when. Extinction is normal and part of nature.99% or organisms that were on earth are extinct..All of the organisms on earth right now are the last 1 percent.
the fourth is happenin right now...dont b blind! And the point we're makin iz that those thigns weer natural, but this time man is causing this rapid extinction and at this rate we will cause extinction of 99% of all species that were living at the end of the 19th century!
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there have been periods of high extinction althroughout earths history. The first major extinction event was when Bacteria were gettin killed because Oxygen was not present in the atmosphere at that time. Oxygen was emerging and all of the early bacteria died..The second major extinction event happened when A super volcano in where Siberia is today Exploded leavin an area the size of asia in lava and ash..This event put a cloud of darkness over the earth and suffocated the animals because of the rich sulfur dioxide. the third was when the asteriod hit and killed the dinosaurs. The forth will happen. No one knows when. Extinction is normal and part of nature.99% or organisms that were on earth are extinct..All of the organisms on earth right now are the last 1 percent.
the fourth is happenin right now...dont b blind! And the point we're makin iz that those thigns weer natural, but this time man is causing this rapid extinction and at this rate we will cause extinction of 99% of all species that were living at the end of the 19th century!
Absolutely, man is the main cause for this massive reduction in animal & fish population. We need to control overfishing and (overeating...lol) ;D
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the food chain my friends.
although i think steps should be taken to reduce overfishing but do fish value their lives, do any other creature on this earth? no.. i dont have pity against animals as much as i do other humans.
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the food chain my friends.
although i think steps should be taken to reduce overfishing but do fish value their lives, do any other creature on this earth? no.. i dont have pity against animals as much as i do other humans.
u dont know that...ur jus thinkin selfishly
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Nah dogg the food chain is part of life..Predetors and prey go one in one...If the amount of predetors fall the amount of prey fall. Polution is one of the main problems.
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Nah dogg the food chain is part of life..Predetors and prey go one in one...If the amount of predetors fall the amount of prey fall. Polution is one of the main problems.
Oh yeah of course extinction is not the biggest problem we have...like I said earleir that was overpopulation, which affects shit such as pollution, undereating(in 3rd world areas), extinction and all dat ish.
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Conclusion:The only species that really needs to go extinct for the sake of the world are the humans.
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i dont like fish, lobster, shrimp, and crab is good
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i dont like fish, lobster, shrimp, and crab is good
And what has THAT to do with the world being destroyed by Homo sapiens? ::) ??? ???
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Nah dogg the food chain is part of life..Predetors and prey go one in one...If the amount of predetors fall the amount of prey fall. Polution is one of the main problems.
Pollution is only part of the problem...most of the problems are due to overfishing....you should be knowing this by now...common sense
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Also, its not just because of overpopulation....mainly fisherman want more money for more catches they make, thats why theres extensive overfishing. If ppl would simply quit over doing things, that would greatly help.
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I suggest some of you to read this article on the following link and understand an example of overfishing and its effects...
http://www.fisheries.ubc.ca/publications/news/antartica9oct2001.pdf
http://www.oceana.org/index.cfm?sectionID=11&fuseaction=3&pageID=124
Ocean Threats: Overfishing
Life in the oceans is bountiful but not infinite. Worldwide more than three million fishing boats remove about between 70 and 90 MILLION tons of fish and shellfish from the oceans. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimated in 1999 that 70 to 78 percent of worldwide marine fish stocks require urgent intervention to halt population declines and to rebuild species depleted by overfishing.
Overfishing to Extinction
Long thought to be resistant to the risk of extinction, several fish species around the world may now face being wiped out throughout their ranges, largely due to human-induced pressures, such as overfishing and habitat destruction.
The American Fisheries Society recently identified 82 species as at risk of extinction in North American waters. Among this list of severely depleted species are some of the world’s most prized food and game fish—several species of shark, skates, sturgeons, and groupers; Atlantic salmon; Atlantic halibut; and Pacific rockfish.
This level of overfishing may cause other populations of animals, and whole ecosystems, to crash.
Click here to view a series of maps that illustrate the massive decline of fish in the North Atlantic Ocean over the past hundred years.
Sea Otter Food Chain Collapse
The population of sea otters in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands has dropped by 95 percent since the 1980’s.
Although scientists are not sure why, it is probably related to increased attacks by killer whales, which have turned to eating sea otters because the population of the largest sea lions in the world, Steller sea lions, has dropped in the Bering Sea by 90 percent.
Sea lions eat fish, but at present the fishing fleet removes approximately four billion pounds of fish from sea lion habitat every year. The sea lion declines started with the beginning of industrial fishing and appear to be linked to the disruption of the food web in Bering Sea waters. In addition to sea otters and sea lions, the populations of other marine animals such as fur seals has dropped dramatically, as have the populations of many types of birds.
No Oysters Means Murky Water
In many places overfishing has upset the balance of life between ocean plants and animals. This change is most apparent in coastal regions, but may be impacting the entire ocean.
In the oceans most of the plants are microscopic algae. These algae float in the water. If the algae overpopulate the water it becomes green, brown or even red. Algae populations are kept in check by animals called filter feeders, which include clams, oysters, scallops, sardines and many other types of ocean life. When people remove too many filter feeders, the algae is more likely to overpopulate, resulting in murky water.
For example, when Europeans first arrived in the Chesapeake Bay they could see 30 feet down. They also found oyster reefs so large that ships could run aground on them. Scientists estimate that the oysters filtered as much water as is held in the entire Bay every three days. Scientists have also determined that this filtering helped to control pollution until the oysters were removed by wide-spread overfishing. Today only about 1% of the oysters remain and Bay waters are murky and green despite attempts to reduce pollution levels.
How You Can Prevent Overfishing:
Get more info and take action at OceansAtRisk.com!
Stem the tide of overfishing by becoming an Oceana member! Click here.
Eat sustainably caught seafood.
What is Sustainable or Ocean-Friendly Seafood?
Seafood can be considered "ocean friendly" if it is caught, harvested or raised in a manner that does not deplete fish stocks, result in the unintentional capture of marine mammals and other ocean life, reduce water quality or harm ocean or coastal habitats. Ocean-friendly seafood can be either wild or farm-raised, though not all wild and farm-raised species can automatically be considered ocean friendly. For example, salmon farms can use up to four times the amount of wild fish for feed for each one pound of salmon. They can also cause significant water quality problems.
Why Choose Ocean-Friendly Seafood?
Americans love fish. Each year, U.S. consumers spend almost $50 billion on seafood. To most seafood lovers, there appears to be an ever-growing abundance and variety of seafood in their favorite restaurants and in their local supermarket.
Contrary to the perceptions of most consumers, however, fish and other seafood are a finite resource. Rising consumer demand here and abroad is depleting fishing stocks around the world. Currently, two-thirds of the world's major marine fisheries are already overfished, fully fished or depleted.
Ironically, much of the fish caught never makes onto the dinner plate. Almost one-third of the total world catch - over 27 million metric tons - is made up of "untargeted" fish, marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds that are caught unintentionally as the result of unselective fishing gear and practices. The vast majority of this "bycatch" is discarded, either dead or dying.
Certain destructive fishing practices also damage marine habitats vital to fisheries, marine life and coastal communities. Bottom trawling and dredging destroy the fragile sea floor habitats that serve as living, breeding and nursery areas for many marine species.
Due to the health benefits and increased popularity of seafood in the United States, grocery stores and restaurants are stocking more and more seafood. This provides consumers with a wide range of dining options. The increased demand for seafood results in higher fish catch, taking a toll on marine life around the globe.
Some "ocean friendly" seafood choices include: wild Alaskan salmon, farmed tilapia, and hook-caught cod
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I suggest all of you should go through this link as it points all the factors of ocean threats
http://www.oceana.org/index.cfm?sectionID=11&fuseaction=3
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I don't eat fish so I don't care...PeAcE
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Well its not as simple as stopping overfishing. Its the spanish who are destroying the irish fish stocks. Over-population has very little to do with it because fish isnt a major food compared to rice etc. However people are thinking short term in that they need to get more profit from the fishes. They dont see that there'll be no fish in a few years. Huge restrictions need to be put in place and need to be policed, but this doesnt solve the problem of what do the fishermen do? Perhaps a move into fish-farming? While not as fish-friendly, if it was done extensively for about 50 years then the fish populations could replenish. We do this in school, and it doesnt look promising...as technology advances, ships get more effiecient and fish are caught way more. However one good aspect of the advance is that special nets can be used to reduce catching the wrong fish.
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Well its not as simple as stopping overfishing. Its the spanish who are destroying the irish fish stocks. Over-population has very little to do with it because fish isnt a major food compared to rice etc. However people are thinking short term in that they need to get more profit from the fishes. They dont see that there'll be no fish in a few years. Huge restrictions need to be put in place and need to be policed, but this doesnt solve the problem of what do the fishermen do? Perhaps a move into fish-farming? While not as fish-friendly, if it was done extensively for about 50 years then the fish populations could replenish. We do this in school, and it doesnt look promising...as technology advances, ships get more effiecient and fish are caught way more. However one good aspect of the advance is that special nets can be used to reduce catching the wrong fish.
tru.. fish-farming and technology will very quickly replace deep-sea fishin and what-not. humans will soon domesticate and culture all forms and species of life. no stoppin it..
and desi way before.. its scientifically proven that humans are the only species that have the ability to reason.. hence the only species rendered able to value their life.