(Cross-posted at DailyKos and MyLeftWing)
Researchers have found that fishing has diminished the diversity of fish in the oceans based upon the records of Japanese fishing fleets. As a result the ocean ecosystems are more vulnerable to climate
changes. The findings are reported in the Journal Science.Link
The Japanese records cover 15 species of fish over 50 years of fishing. These have been cross-referemced with records of American and Australian government agencies of 140 species.
Boris Worm (Yes, his real name) of Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, lead author of the paper:
“The oceans have been drained of species, basically.” He said that more must be done to protect areas where diversity persists.
In 2003, Worm revealed the results of another Dalhousie study and reported that large predatory fish populations had been reduced by 90%. Some areas have had diversity reduced by 50% since the 1950’s. The less diverse ecosystems will have greater difficulty responding to climate change.
Lack of species diversity is a problem, Worm said, because ecosystems with fewer species are less robust in the face of environmental disruptions like climate change.
For example, he said, the world’s tuna fishery today is largely a matter of yellowfin and skipjack tuna because bluefin, albacore and other species rarely appear on fishermen’s lines.
“If the ocean changes in a way that doesn’t favor these two species any more, we have very little to fall back on,” he said. “If you have a rich portfolio of species, it’s like a diverse stock portfolio. You are better off.“
The researchers have identified 5 areas where large and diverse populations remain. They urge protection of these.
The researchers said that five good-sized diversity hot spots remain. Two of them — the area off the east coast of Florida and the area south of the Hawaiian Islands — are in U.S. waters. The
others are off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, in the central southeast Pacific north of Easter Island and in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka.“These areas should be protected,” D’Hondt (unidentified) said. “They are important, not just for fish, but for everyone.”
Hmm, two areas in US waters. Prior Bushco practice would suggest that the administration will be putting a fishing industry veteran in charge and opening up those areas to industry exploitation. Let us hope not.
