The Crisis in Marine Fisheries
For many, it's not not part of the picture. But the frightful combination of soaring global demand for seafood, new and devastatingly effective fishing technology, globalization of the fishery industry, inadequate fisheries management and consumer indifference is contributing to the catastrophic decimation of once abundant species and wholesale damage to vast marine ecosystems.
On Wednesday, April 11, Town Square will present a talk by Dr. J. Emmett Duffy on the the global fisheries crisis and what people can do about it. Web links on the marine fisheries crisis and what you can do about it are presented lower on this page.
Turning the Tide:
The Coming Crisis in Ocean Resources and What We Can Do About It
The Cheryl Beth Silverman Memorial Lecture by Dr. J. Emmett Duffy on April 11, 2007
In November 2006, a research article was published in the prestigious journal Science on the relationship between biodiversity and the ability of the oceans to provide seafood and other ecosystem services. Dr. Duffy is one of the articles's 14 authors.
The four-year study investigated whether species diversity affected the ability of marine ecosystems to withstand or recover from human or natural stresses. The authors analyzed data from numerous small-scale experimental studies, marine reserves, long-term regional studies and global fisheries records. The findings convincingly demonstrate that biodiversity plays a central role in the productivity and stability of entire marine ecosystems. In other words, the population collapse of prized fishery species can lead to severe ecosystem-level impacts. Moreover, the study indicates that biodiversity declines caused by overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction would plausibly result in the catastrophic global collapse in marine fisheries during this century.
Fortunately, the study also demonstrated that restoration efforts such as marine reserves and fishery closures can dramatically reverse declines in biodiversity, ecosystem stability and fishery production.
In addition, effective action can be taken on a more personal basis. Individuals can take political action in behalf of sustainable fishery policies. You can also watch what you eat. You can choose seafood that is sustainably managed. Dr. Duffy addressed these and other aspects of the coming crisis in ocean fisheries on April 11.
Dr. J. Emmett Duffy is a Professor of Marine Science and the Chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. He is a recent recipient of an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship and is the author of the environmental blog Natural Patriot (naturalpatriot.org).
Web Resources
- Audubon's Seafood Lover's Guide
- seafood.audubon.org/
- FishOnline (A sustainable fish guide from the UK)
- http://www.fishonline.org
- Future of Marine Animal Populations (FMAP)
- www.fmap.ca/
- GreenFacts Summary of the FAO 2004 report State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture
- www.greenfacts.org/fisheries/index.htm
- Marine Stewartship Council
- eng.msc.org/
- National Geographic (Special Feature on the Fisheries Crisis)
- www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0704/feature1/
- The Natural Patriot (Emmett Duffy's environmental blog)
- naturalpatriot.org/
- naturalpatriot.org post on sustainable seafood
- Ocean Champions: Building Polical Champions for Ocean Conservation
- www.oceanchampions.org/
- Pew Institute for Ocean Science
- www.pewoceanscience.org
- Seafood Watch: Make Choices for Healthy Oceans
- www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp
- SeaWeb: Leading Choices for a Healthy Ocean
- www.seaweb.org
- World Resources Institute, Earthtrends articles on Coastal and Marine Ecosystems:
- earthtrends.wri.org/features/index.php?theme=1