Bycatch a Worldwide Epidemic
Between 1950 and 1994, ocean fishermen increased their catch by 400 percent by doubling the number of boats they used and using more effective fishing gear, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch. In 1989, the world's catch leveled off at about 82 million metric tons of fish per year. We have reached "peak fish," and no number of boats would help us catch more. Today only 10 percent of all large fish—both open-ocean species (tuna, swordfish, marlin, etc.) and the large groundfish, such as cod, halibut, skates and flounder—are left in the sea, according to research published in National Geographic.
"From giant blue marlin to mighty bluefin tuna, and from tropical groupers to Antarctic cod, industrial fishing has scoured the global ocean. There is no blue frontier left," lead author Ransom Myers told National Geographic. "Since 1950, with the onset of industrialized fisheries, we have rapidly reduced the resource base to less than 10 percent—not just in some areas, not just for some stocks, but for entire communities of these large fish species from the tropics to the poles."
The article goes on to detail, the ravages of bycatch which as we flatfish fans know is a real problem. Although reducing bycatch hasn't brought flounder numbers back in Texas, where would we be if we had not taken measures? To read the full article click here.
Photo courtesy NOAA
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