One Ocean

A team of researchers spent four years studying the world’s fish populations and determined that if we don’t stop overfishing, all of the planet’s fish will have been caught by 2048. Some species have been wiped out entirely and many more are in danger of extinction. A United Nations’ study estimates 70% of the world’s fisheries are now fully exploited. The use of long-lines, with sixty miles of hooks, bottom trawling, that captures as well as destroys everything in its wake, bycatch and illegal fishing, are mostly to blame. But so are we as consumers! As long as there’s demand, tuna, shark, haddock, salmon and prawns, to name but a few, will continue to be over-fished.

Killing sharks and tuna sets off a chain reaction that can decimate other fish species and even entire ecosystems. These predators keep their prey species in balance. When the hammerhead shark declined off the east coast of North Carolina, the cownose ray took over, wiping out the bay scallop population. When sharks disappeared from Caribbean coral reefs, groupers proliferated, killing off the plant-eating parrotfish. Algae grew unchecked, eventually smothering the coral. The ocean is a complex system of interdependent relationships. It is also the life-blood of millions of people. Aquaculture is not the answer. Careful management of our exploitation is. Depleted stocks can bounce back. Choose your seafood wisely. Learn how and where it was caught. Pressure your government to enforce strict quotas. Pledge to help stop overfishing.