The global food supply is in danger. An entire family of fish which includes the likes of tuna, mackerel, and bonito is in danger of being completely wiped out. From 1970 to 2012, overfishing and other unsustainable practices have reduced these populations to just one fourth of its former size, The Guardian reported.
Conservation efforts for the Scombridae family of fish, whose 74% decline overshadows the 49% decline of more than a thousand other ocean species, are absolutely vital for future generations. The mere fact that billions of marine life have died at the hands of humanity is a legacy not worth boasting about.
Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, said that the mismanagement of marine resources is pushing "the ocean to the brink of collapse." He adds that "there is a massive, massive decrease in species which are critical", for the ecosystem and for food security of billions of people and that "the ocean is resilient but there is a limit."
The study of the WWF with the Zoological Society of London tracked 5,829 populations of 1,234 species, including seals, turtles, and sharks. "This report suggests that billions of animals have been lost from the world's oceans in my lifetime alone," said Ken Norris, director of science at the ZSL.
Overfishing is boosted by subsidies of up to 46 billion dollars per year. And evidence of the unsustainability of this can be seen with global catches which have fallen from 82.6 million tons to just 79.7 tons.
But overfishing is not the only culprit. The destruction of coral reefs, mangroves, and the development of coastal regions which result in pollution all contribute to the death of these species, Merco Press reported.
Drastic action from governments, corporations, and individuals is required to avert a food crisis. It is easy to see how a collapse in marine resources can produce domino effect that can and will affect the greater global population.
The worst hit seems to be the Pacific Ocean where massive fishing fleets from China, Japan, and Korea have decimated biodiversity. But all kinds of marine life from the Antarctic to the US west coast have been reduced to alarming levels.
Additionally, pollution from human activities is causing acidification of the oceans. Shellfish are particularly sensitive to this, as do tiny marine animals which are the lifeline of many kinds of bigger marine life. Left unchecked, the world's coral reefs will be gone by 2050. Increased fishing by China will also leave a full quarter of shark species extinct in just a decade.
Governance is needed to ensure the survival of our race and fishermen need to see governance as working for them instead of against them for the practices to halt from the top down.The example of Fiji, where biodiversity is beginning to flourish again thanks to strict compliance with regulations, is an example the world can use to prevent any more damage from being done.
