Clambakes, crabcakes, swordfish steaks and even humble fish sticks could be little more than a fond memory in a few decades.
If current trends of overfishing and pollution continue, by 2050 the populations of just about all seafood face collapse, defined as 90 percent depletion, a team of ecologists and economists warns in a study published in Friday’s issue of the journal Science.
“Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world’s ocean, we saw the same picture emerging. In losing species we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems,” said lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.
“I was shocked and disturbed by how consistent these trends are — beyond anything we suspected,” Worm said.
When ocean species collapse, it makes the ocean itself weaker and less able to recover from shocks like global climate change, Worm said.
“This research shows we’ll have few viable fisheries by 2050,” Andrew Sugden, international managing editor of Science, told reporters at a telephone news briefing. “This work also shows that it’s not too late to act.”
Added co-author Steve Palumbi of Stanford University: “Unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the oceans species together, as working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood.”
This definately is not good for the future of America and its seafood!
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I have to agree with this column, we are in big trouble. I live on the coast and this summer worked for a fisherman gigging fish. We went to the shallows at around 6 pm and didn't stop fishing til 6 am. He's a commercial fisher, so he knew the area pretty well, and had been fishing at the same location for about 30 years. Often the topic of the decline of fish came up, especially flounder. When he started fishing in the area, it was pretty easy to attain anywhere from 100-150 pounds of fish in a night. Now, with an increase in commercial fishing, recreational fishing, new predators introduced in the enviroment, and pollution, he's lucky to get 50 pounds a night.
It's really very sad.
Apres moi le deluge....
I herd about this and it scared me because I am worried about spongbob and all his friends<3 Tina
This would have some severe implications on other animals in the oceans, too. I'm not too worried about the food since I'm vegetarian, but it does make me worry about the ecosystems that will be affected.
Also, do you have a reference for this or did you write it yourself? If you did, good job! It's very well written.
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