One Ocean, Many Worlds of Life - Convention on Biological Diversity

Stockbyte/Thinkstock/John Foxx
Not Enough Fish in the Sea
In 1883, naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley opined that “probably all the great
sea fisheries, are inexhaustible.” If the evidence <strong>of</strong> the preceding centuries
suggested that optimism was questionable, that <strong>of</strong> the subsequent 120 or so
years definitively established it as completely misplaced.
The history <strong>of</strong> fishing is a history <strong>of</strong> overfishing. A species <strong>of</strong> giant clam
in the red Sea is believed to have been overfished 125,000 years ago.53 The
Dutch herring fishery collapsed in 1830 and has never really recovered. A
century and a half later, in 1992, the cod fishery <strong>of</strong>f Newfoundland collapsed,
after dire warnings <strong>of</strong> impending disaster from scientists, with the loss <strong>of</strong>
40,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the southern bluefin tuna has been depleted by an
estimated 92 percent, and catch quotas for Atlantic bluefin tuna continue
to be set at levels higher than those recommended by scientists, leading to
concerns for the future <strong>of</strong> that species.
A 2011 study estimated that 28 to 33 percent <strong>of</strong> all fish stocks are being overexploited,
and seven to 13 percent have collapsed completely.54 According
to the FAO, 10 species are responsible for 30 percent <strong>of</strong> the global catch,
with anchoveta catches, at 7.4 million tonnes in 2008, by far the largest
single catch <strong>of</strong> all.55
Such figures do not include catches for what are known as fishing operations
that are illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU). <strong>One</strong> study concluded
that IUU catches worldwide could total over 12 million tonnes annually,
contributing to declines in fish stocks, to the loss <strong>of</strong> income from legitimate
40 Marine BiOdiversity