You know that expression people utter when a friend has been dumped, or
is the victim of unrequited love? "There are plenty of fish in the
sea"...?
Well, there aren't. At least, not literally.
The oceans are being drained of their bounty, and as a major food source for the planet, we should all be deeply worried. Are we? I don't think so, and I wonder whether or not cliched sayings like the above reflect a general assumption about the oceans: they're so big that there simply MUST be more fish out there, no matter how much we take out.
Wrong.
A great article in yesterday's Washington Post focuses on bluefin tuna, the prized fish that's quickly becoming the poster species for our incredible ability to deplete the seas. Some numbers from the story:
Over the past 40 years, the adult population of eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna has declined 72 percent and the same segment of the western Atlantic stock has dropped 82 percent -- all while being governed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which sets catch quotas for the fish and is supposed to curtail illegal fishing.
Gee, thanks ICCAT. Nice job handling tuna conservation.
Fortunately for the planet a group with a little more muscle, and a lot better track record of actually DOING SOMETHING, the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), has gotten wind of the global fish crisis.
CITES is a group of officials from 175 countries who are the best -- and often last -- hope for species on the brink of extinction. When the convention meets in March, it will consider putting the bluefin as well as 26 species of red coral, 8 species of sharks, and polar bears on a list that would grant them special protection, according to the article.
It's a daring move. Bluefin tuna are incredibly profitable fish, and those invested in bringing them to our dinner plates won't take kindly to CITES's efforts. That means next year's meeting will be an interesting and vitally important moment in the history of human's relationship with one of our biggest food resources: the ocean.
image: WWF on Flickr
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