A new study from a team of international scientists claims per capita wild fish consumption is more than double “sustainable” levels.
Ecosystem Overfishing in the Ocean, published Wednesday in the online journal PLoS ONE, suggests sustainable per wild capita fish consumption from the rising world population is seven kilograms, but the actual level is more like 15 kilograms.
“This clearly shows there is a limit on sustainable production from marine ecosystems, and we are currently consuming at rates well above this limit,” said the authors.
It calls for "drastic cuts" in total catches and "eradicating illegal unreported and unregulated fishing practices and reduce unwanted catches.”
“While slight increases in sustainability over the last decades are observed in few areas, such as the North Sea, the North-eastern U.S. shelf, and the Scotian shelf, the risk of overexploitation in these areas remains very high,” they added.
The study is the first to assess the sustainability of global fisheries at an ecosystem level. It assesses the sustainability of fishing over a period of 50 years, from 1950 to 2004, in 83 marine areas.
These marine areas represent 22 percent of the world’s ocean surface but contribute to 75 percent of fish catches.
“While fisheries can deplete target and non-target species, they trigger impacts on other marine life and the wider ocean environment,” added the authors.
Ecosystem Overfishing in the Ocean, published Wednesday in the online journal PLoS ONE, suggests sustainable per wild capita fish consumption from the rising world population is seven kilograms, but the actual level is more like 15 kilograms.
“This clearly shows there is a limit on sustainable production from marine ecosystems, and we are currently consuming at rates well above this limit,” said the authors.
It calls for "drastic cuts" in total catches and "eradicating illegal unreported and unregulated fishing practices and reduce unwanted catches.”
“While slight increases in sustainability over the last decades are observed in few areas, such as the North Sea, the North-eastern U.S. shelf, and the Scotian shelf, the risk of overexploitation in these areas remains very high,” they added.
The study is the first to assess the sustainability of global fisheries at an ecosystem level. It assesses the sustainability of fishing over a period of 50 years, from 1950 to 2004, in 83 marine areas.
These marine areas represent 22 percent of the world’s ocean surface but contribute to 75 percent of fish catches.
“While fisheries can deplete target and non-target species, they trigger impacts on other marine life and the wider ocean environment,” added the authors.
