Our Ravaged Seas: Globalization Is Destroying the World's Oceans

An expanding global population, a growing demand for fish and ruthless technology that sweeps the ocean floors clean are ravaging global saltwater fish populations. “About one-fourth of all known fish populations are already overfished to the brink of extinction, including once-abundant species cod and tuna,” explains Thomas Schulz for Spiegel Online. “According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), another 50 percent are considered completely exploited.” Even as the number of people who rely on fishing for an income shrinks, the need for sustainable methods becomes more apparent. “The number of players is decreasing, but those that remain are getting bigger, more global and more powerful,” writes Schulze, noting that 1 percent of the world’s fishing fleet is responsible for 50 percent of the catch. Governments, global consumers and industrial fishermen reject scientific advice and instead press for high quotas and easy methods, including fish farming, encouraging a demand that is gradually outpacing supply. – YaleGlobal