I always knew I would include a blog post on the impact of declining fish stocks but when it came about to researching for the post I was surprised. Compared to the sheer quantity of media hype over the plight of the bees there was very little concerning fish despite the wide ranging implications.
European fish stocks, and the UK's in particular, are in decline for a multiple of reasons including pollution and climate change yet it is direct human action through overfishing that is considered the greatest threat to marine ecosystems. Damage to marine ecosystems has far reaching impacts on human populations from protein consumption to employment to rural ways of life.
Research on 43 european fish stocks assessed the impact of healthy, biodiverse fisheries on local employment and economies. They found that 72% of stocks were below optimal level with €3 billion lost every year as a result. This money could support 100,000 jobs in the industry across Europe and boost local and national economies (Crilly, R et al, 2012) .
Local economies, reliant on this primary sector have already experienced slow decline. For example, the Marine Conservation society and researchers from the University of York found that fishing fleet in the UK are having to work 17 times harder to make the same catch than the 1880s with peak fish landings in 1937. This is despite significant technological advances (Thurstan et al, 2010). With dwindling job opportunities and economic prospects, many face poverty or are abandoning this traditional way of life resulting in rural decline.
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Research on 43 european fish stocks assessed the impact of healthy, biodiverse fisheries on local employment and economies. They found that 72% of stocks were below optimal level with €3 billion lost every year as a result. This money could support 100,000 jobs in the industry across Europe and boost local and national economies (Crilly, R et al, 2012) .
Local economies, reliant on this primary sector have already experienced slow decline. For example, the Marine Conservation society and researchers from the University of York found that fishing fleet in the UK are having to work 17 times harder to make the same catch than the 1880s with peak fish landings in 1937. This is despite significant technological advances (Thurstan et al, 2010). With dwindling job opportunities and economic prospects, many face poverty or are abandoning this traditional way of life resulting in rural decline.
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Marine ecosystems in Europe are a truly interdisiciplinary problem. A policy overhaul is required that balances the demands of human populations whilst allowing for recovery and then sustainable management.
Sources:
Crilly, R et al. 2012. Jobs Lost at Sea. New Economics Forum. [pdf]. Available at: http://b.3cdn.net/nefoundation/e966d4ce355b7485c1_a7m6brn5t.pdf [Accessed 18.11.2014]
on UK bottom trawl fisheries. Nature Communication. [online]. 1(15). Available at: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v1/n2/pdf/ncomms1013.pdf. [Accessed 12.11.2014]
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