03 Nov
2006 - Gland, Switzerland – Following the publication
of a new analysis of the health of the oceans
in the scientific journal Science, WWF says governments,
industry and seafood consumers must tackle the
crisis in the oceans or risk the food security
and livelihoods of over a billion people.
The analysis by leading marine
scientists took four years to compile and concludes
that by 2048 stocks of all of the species currently
fished for food will collapse.
“For centuries people have regarded
the ocean as an inexhaustible supply of food,
but in recent years human actions have finally
pushed oceans to their limit,” said Dr Simon Cripps,
Director of WWF’s Global Marine Programme.
“This study confirms the scale
of the oceans crisis. Governments and industry
must act or we’ll reach the point of no return
for fisheries and the marine environment."
The study also reveal that stocks
have collapsed in nearly one-third of marine fisheries,
and the rate of decline is accelerating. And it
reports that as a result of marine biodiversity
loss there will be more beach closures, more blooms
of potentially harmful algae and more coastal
flooding.
According to WWF, many governments
are failing to prevent over-fishing and ocean
destruction. In particular, many are ignoring
scientific advice, increasing catches rather than
enforcing wise management, and failing to clamp
down on pirate fishing.
The global conservation organization
is calling on governments to implement conservation
and management measures, including reducing fishing
pressure, stopping destructive fishing practices
and establishing effective networks of marine
protected areas, if they’re to prevent empty oceans,
empty plates and lost livelihoods in the future.
“Despite the serious problems
within the world’s oceans, responsible retailers
in Europe, Japan and the US are responding to
the increasing demand for seafood from well-managed
fisheries,” adds Dr Cripps.
The best way for consumers to
identify seafood coming from well-managed fisheries,
he said, is through the Marine Stewardship Council
label, an independent non-profit organization
set up to promote solutions to the problem of
overfishing. It has developed the only independent
and international fishery certification programme
and eco-label in the world.
END NOTES:
• The study — Impact of Biodiversity
Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services — is published
in the November 2006 issue of Science.
Sarah Bladen, Communications Manager
WWF Global Marine Programme
