Plenty of Fish in the Sea?

[Blue Crab]

I wonder, given the depletion of ocean stocks. Fishermen I know are not catching as much. Think we're running low on fish?

[fstbttms]

Pretty much not even a question:

53% of the world’s fisheries are fully exploited, and 32% are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion

Most of the top ten marine fisheries, accounting for about 30% of all capture fisheries production, are fully exploited or overexploited

As many as 90% of all the ocean’s large fish have been fished out

Several important commercial fish populations have declined to the point where their survival is threatened

Unless the current situation improves, stocks of all species currently fished for food are predicted to collapse by 2048

WWF - Unsustainable fishing

[muskoka]

The Grand Banks cod fishery collapsed in 1992 after a 500 year run. At the time of the collapse they reckon the biomass was about 1% of what it had been a generation earlier. At present, it's probably only recovered to about 10%.

Many ecosystems don't seem to taper off - they seem to literally collapse in a very short timeframe. At the rate human populations are increasing, I'd be pretty pessimistic about wild fisheries surviving on a global scale.

[rebel heart]

The only people who think it's all okay are commercial fishermen who don't want new regulations. And Japan, who doesn't give a **** about anything other than getting fish from wherever they can.

[kthoennes]

Oh come now, all that Japanese whaling is strictly for research purposes.

[Lagoon4us]

Bugger all left in Croatia due to explosive fishing methods and nil regulations on nets.

Next to bugger all in Greece due to no regulation.

Let you know about Turkey soon.

Fish markets in these countries offer all fish from juvenile upwards. Baby stingrays removed from the mother are a delicacy.

The surrounding seas show little bird life with just the occasional swordfish i.e. we see one a week...

[bobconnie]

guess we are really blessed down here in Louisiana, We still have abundant fishing both offshore and inshore! The powers that be seem to feel that are current limits are still allowing the fishery to increse in numbers ! We just took a short offshore fishing trip, and were able to restock our freezer with both yellow tail tuna, and lemon fish ! Connie got a large amberjack all by herself!! I hope the fellas with the education about the fish and such know what they are talking about ! but then about the only commercial fishing we have down here is red snapper and shrimp! Cus the fishing is really super and I would hate to see it get like the west coast !

[carstenb]

Unfortunately, we have and are continuing to deplete the fish stocks. When I was a kid (50 years ago) the teachers inthe school used to say that mankind didn't have to worry about having adequate food, no matter how big the population got because if it ever got to that, there were "the inexhaustible riches of the sea". Well, they are not inexhaustible.

Up through the middle ages, it was possible to fish herring when they were running in the Denmark/sweden sound by simply wading out with a bucket and literally shoveling the fish up on the beach.

Today there are few herring left in the Baltic.

Another problem is the unwanted catch that comes when the industrial fishermen, put out a net-bag that stretches over a square kilometer and down as much as 100 meters. When they reel this in - EVERYTHING gets caught, dolphins, sharks, every kind of fish and almost all of them die, even if they are thrown back.

[o_q]

shouldn't it be illegal to do this?

[muskoka]

The Tragedy of the Commons on a global scale. Hell, people are still insisting that Tiger bits are an aphrodisiac in the era of Viagra. One day we'll hit the tipping point and that will be that, as they say.

Tragedy of the commons - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by o_q

shouldn't it be illegal to do this?

When you're a broke poor country and the Japanese offer you cash on the barrelhead for exclusive fishing rights in your territorial waters, you'll probably take the deal.

[o_q]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

When you're a broke poor country and the Japanese offer you cash on the barrelhead for exclusive fishing rights in your territorial waters, you'll probably take the deal.

Money is obviously the primary factor for many things, but if fish are depleted, no one wins.

[dirkdig]

150 years ago the Bream in the creek running in front of my house were so think that it was observed that you could walk on them to cross the creek.
The rocks were covered in Abalone and the crayfish were caught by hand amongst the rocks.
In 19 years of living here i have not seen 1 bream in the creek now.There is only small Abalone which are poached all the time by minority ethnic groups which the government dear not fine.
The crayfish are long gone.
My dream would be to have arrived in Australia 300 years ago before white man distroyed the place,the wildlife must have been just amazing.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by o_q

Money is obviously the primary factor for many things, but if fish are depleted, no one wins.

I hear you on that, but there are countries with serious problems in-the-now so existential threats become a little more academic.

Some Pacific island nations that have given their fishing rights over aren't even going to exist as nations in fifty years because of rising water levels. So it's hard to talk to people like that and explain that they should put global fishing over their own future as a soon-to-be-displaced people.

The real problem, honestly, is the consumer. As long as there is a market there will be people to supply it.

[tamicatana]

Not that there aren't enough fish, but that there are too many humans.