Fish Supplies Could Be Gone By 2048 If Nothing Is Done: Study

If current fishing trends continue, the Dalhousie University report claims the world’s oceans could be virtually empty by 2048.

The diversity of species is being so quickly depleted due to overfishing, according to the study, that within a few decades most stocks could collapse.

“If we don’t change the way we do things, we will literally run out of species in our lifetimes,” said Boris Worm, lead author of the report and a professor at the Halifax school.

“We really see the end of the line now. … Our children will see a world without seafood if we don’t change things.”

Worm’s team looked at data dating back 1,000 years to come up with the rate of how quickly ocean resources are being used up. It found that nearly 40 per cent of species historically fished had collapsed by 2003 compared to 1980 when only 13 per cent of species had been affected.

Another problem is that species serving to help clean the water are disappearing which means the water itself will deteriorate over time.

Overfishing isn’t the only reason for the loss of biodiversity – pollution is another chief cause.

Worm pointed to the disappearance of swordfish and tuna fisheries on the East Coast as proof of the growing problem.

He also suggested that as species disappear there could be other wide-ranging consequences for the marine ecosystem.

Every species has its purpose, Worm contends, and losing one or more means the oceans are more susceptible to disease, the effects of pollution, and climate change.

The study is a warning to government officials to put stricter limitations on fishing.

“We still have the recovery potential if we turn away from this destructive pattern,” said Worm. “It can recover on its own. The ocean is not the same everywhere and we have to be very smart about what we take out and how we take it out.”

The government said a ban on deep-sea trawling would be unenforceable and is only part of the problem. Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn said international cooperation is the key to turning things around.

“Canada by itself can’t do everything,” he said.

But NDP Leader Jack Layton says Ottawa should take a more aggressive stand to fix the serious problem facing the world’s marine ecosystems.

“The warming of the oceans and the falling pH in the oceans, this relates specifically to climate change,” he said. 

The study reportedly showed that while the decline of species is occurring faster these days, protected areas were able to recover over time.

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