overfishing

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 19, 2008) -- A historic meeting next week may decide the fate of tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, one of the world’s most important marine resources.

- Dan Shalloway

We admire sharks as a fearsome predator, and they have a special place in our culture as a creature that is both graceful and

More than 1 in 4 animals have disappeared in the past 35 years, according to a report published Thursday by the World Wildlife Fund conservation group.

In less than 20 years, the Grand Banks - a marine region off the coast of Canada - went from one of the richest fishing grounds in the world to a marine wasteland as overfishing destroyed the natural abundance (more).

One third of more than five hundred shark species are threatened with extinction according to World Conservation Union. Many species of shark are facing a grave threat to their existence because of worldwide fishing trends.

It's official; mankind is killing off our oceans far faster than previously thought. The first global-scale study of human impacts on marine ecosystems, published today in the flagship US journal Science, reveals a picture of widespread destruction with few if any areas remaining untouched.

Projections show that sea fish may disappear as food by the middle of the century. Protected zones may help keep fish populations from disappearing.  Blogged by "The Red Mullet", story originally from the BBC.

As reported by Richard Black of the BBC, a new scientific study indicates that our global rate of fishing will make sea fish nearly disappear as a type of food by 2050 unless protective measures are taken. "Protected areas" of the ocean may be the way to go to ensure survival of fish. The extrapolation is shown in graphical form, and many more details are discussed. Thanks to Risa (Risabee) for digg ing this story and bringing it to my attention.

With three quarters of the world's fish stocks overfished and in decline, is it still okay to eat fish? And which ones should we avoid?

MARSEILLE (France) - ITALY, France, Japan and Spain are guilty of the biggest violations of international quotas for bluefin tuna fishing, a report claimed on Wednesday.

Countries are assigned fishing quotas by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to help avert the eventual extinction of the fish, which is highly prized for Japanese sushi and sashimi.

New way to reach out ?

Pemba, Zanzibar - For years, Salim Haji was told by government officials and international groups that his methods of fishing were destroying the coral and weren't sustainable. But few fishermen on this small island off Tanzania's coast paid much heed. Then, the local imam told him that using dragnets to fish and spears to catch octopuses was wrong. As a devout Muslim, he listened.

An environmental report by The WorldWatch Institute has found three-quarters of the world's fish stocks have been over-exploited, mainly by commercial fishing.

As announced today by the World Wildlife Fund, The American Albacore Fishing Association, based in San Diego, CA was officially certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as the world’s first sustainable fishery.

Frozen food giant Birds Eye finally bowed to the inevitable today and announced plans to reduce the amount of cod in its fish fingers in favour of Alaskan pollock.