Can the oceans sustain our appetite for fish?
World Wildlife Fund says man is pushing marine life to its limits and beyond.
Almost three-quarters of the planet is covered by oceans, containing 80 percent of all life on earth. But there’s growing concern that more and more of our marine life is in danger from overfishing.
The World Wildlife Fund says more than 85 percent of the world’s fisheries have been pushed to or beyond their biological limits.
The conservation group warns that rules and regulations are not strong enough to limit fishing to a sustainable level.
It says with this lack of oversight and the “open access” nature of the high seas, there’s little incentive for fishermen to leave fish in the water.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature considers that Atlantic salmon, halibut and trout have been overfished to the point of vulnerability, and that 7.5 percent of Europe’s 1,200 or so marine species face extinction.
Are we consuming fish stocks to the brink of collapse? And who should take responsibility for preserving marine life for future generations?
Presenter: David Foster
Guests:
John Tanzer – director of the World Wildlife Fund’s global marine programme
Maria Jose Cornax – fisheries campaign manager for Oceana Europe
Rainer Froese – senior scientist at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research