Global Fishing Controversies

Does overfishing threaten the survival of ocean species?

Introduction

Scientists warn that industrial-scale fishing is depleting the world's stocks of tuna, cod and other sea life, making it harder for small-scale fishermen in developing countries to eke out a living and raising alarms that overfishing threatens entire species. At the same time, the ocean-warming effects of climate change are driving some species, such as lobster, to cooler waters, upending long-established commercial fishing patterns. Studies have found that one-third of species are overfished — up from 10 percent in 1974 — often by trawlers outfitted with high-tech fish-finding tools such as sonar and drones and equipped with gear that can haul in thousands of fish at a time. Diminishing stocks have led to calls for a ban on fishing on the high seas and the ...

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