State of global fisheries and implications for human nutrition

The ocean's ability to provide plentiful fish is diminishing. And with much of the world's population dependent on fish as their primary source of protein and others seeking fish for their nutrition and health benefits, sustaining fisheries isn't simply desirable, but necessary. Fishers were able to locally deplete marine fishes well over 100 years ago, but in the last 20 years global fisheries yields reached their limit. Many global fisheries are in decline and the biomass of large predatory fishes has plummeted. If this trend continues, wild fisheries could decline by 90 percent in the next 50 years and marine biodiversity could suffer collateral damage to unfished species and critical habitats. One-third of all fish stocks are overfished in U.S. waters, including many of America's favorite seafood items—Atlantic cod, sea scallops, flounder, monkfish, grouper, snapper, Alaska king crab and several species of tuna. As these stocks become severely depleted, they become commercially unviable. And the evidence suggests that they may not recover rapidly, even if we stop fishing. To date, consumption has simply shifted to less exploited stocks, but there are fewer such stocks remaining, and they too are likely to become over-exploited. Many of the assumptions underlying traditional fisheries management are now in question. This leaves us with the question “Will people have sufficient fish to meet necessary nutritional and health needs?” The security of this critical food supply is in doubt and the symptoms are being felt now—what future will we forge for fisheries?