Blogs & Ecology

Image courtesy of Greenpeace

Given the gusto with which we've decimated the ocean's major fisheries stocks over the past half-century, it should hardly come as a surprise that we've been extremely wasteful in the process. According to a new U.N. report, entitled "The Sunken Billions: Economic Justification for Fisheries Reform," the world's fishing fleets are pissing away close to $50 billion a year through poor management and overfishing, reports BBC News' Richard Black.

It’s no secret that we’re all doomed but now scientists have found that the underwater world isn’t having such a rad time either.

Image by: jurvetson

Since the sea sequesters carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere its pH levels are rising. This means sea animals whose shells or skeletons are made of calcium carbonate are literally dissolving due to the increased acidity in the water, and in some cases failing to reproduce.

Image from Greenpeace

Bluefin tuna in the Osaka Aquarium. Photo by Matana_and_Jes via flickr.

About a two weeks ago, we wrote about the bluefin tuna fishing ban hat EU fisheries regulators have enacted to prevent collapse of this valuable fish stock in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Apparently certain members of the French fisheries ministry value short term financial gain over long term economic and ecological sustainability.
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photo by Mithril via flickr

Last Friday brought the news that the EU has banned fishing for Bluefin Tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Next week the issue of overfishing of Pacific tuna stocks will be addressed at the annual meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, in Panama City, Panama. So far the group has failed to adopt binding resolutions on the matter, perhaps this year will be different.
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