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The oceans are on the verge of complete collapse. This statement is fact, as has been , a fact found by several reputable reports: the decrease in biodiversity due to overfishing and invasive species, the chemical threats of global warming and pollution, and destructive and increasingly efficient fishing technology—among other causes—have technology--among other causes--have been found to fundamentally alter the state of the oceans in a decidedly negative manner.
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"In 2000, the FAO stated that 72% of the world's marine fish resources are either fully exploited or in decline. This state of overexploitation has led to practices in cascade fishing, where smaller, immature individuals or different stocks of lesser value and quality replace the former stocks that existed in higher trophic levels. Thus, leading to the current declining trend in fish harvest from high-value demersal fish to lower-value pelagic fish" (Duke). According to Annual Commercial Landing Statistics from NOAA, the tonnage of fish caught in US fisheries from 1950 to 2006 has nearly doubled to more than 4.3 million tons per annum, with a peak in 1997 at nearly 4.8 million tons (NOAA, 2007)(NOAA, 2007), yet because of this increase in production, the fish stocks have decreased by 90% since 1950 (Big-Fish, 2003). "Only 10 percent of all large fish—both open ocean species including tuna, swordfish, marlin and the large groundfish such as cod, halibut, skates and flounder—are left in the sea, according to research published in today's issue of the scientific journal Nature" (Big-Fish, 2003). The fisheries are as susceptible to collapse as the ecosystems upon which they depend.
Fish Consumption
One of the largest problems the oceans face today is the increasing demand for fish products. As stocks are continuously fished beyond sustainable levels and demand increases, fish populations world wide face the possibility of collapse.
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Ahmed, M., Delgado, C.L., Meijer, S., Rosegrant, M.W., Wada, N. (2003). The Future of Fish: Issues and Trends to 2020. International Food Policy Research Insitute and WorldFish Center. Retrieved 18 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ifpri.org
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Duke University. Mining vs. Farming: The International State of the Fisheries. Retrieved 17 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.biology.duke.edu/bio217/2002/fish/state.html.
National Geographic News. (15 May 2003). Big-Fish Stocks Fall 90 Percent Since 1950, Study Says. Retrieved 21 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0515_030515_fishdecline.html.
NOAA Fisheries Service. (6 August 2007). Annual Commercial Landing Statistics. Retrieved 17 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/commercial/landings/annual_landings.html.
Oceans and Law of the Sea: Division for Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea. (23 October 2007). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982. Retrieved 12 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm.
The Pew Charitable Trust. Pew Oceans Commission. Retrieved 21 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work.aspx?category=128.
ScienCentral News. (11 November 2006). No Fish by 2050. Retrieved 21 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?type=article&article_id=218392867.
UN-OCEANS is a site that presents the history, mission, and partners of the UN-OCEANS program
http://www.oceansatlas.org/www.un-oceans.org/About.htm#Participation.
Worm, B., Barbier, E.B., Beaumont, N., Duffy, J.E., Folke, C., Halpern, B.S., Jackson, J.B.C., Lotze, H.K., Micheli, F., Palumbi, S.R., Sala, E., Selkoe, K.A., Stachowicz, J.J., Watson, R. (3 November 2006). Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services. Science Magazine, 314, 787-790. Retrieved 19 October 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/314/5800/787?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=impacts+of+biodiversity+loss&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. (2007). The CITES Appendices. Retrieved November 19, 2007, from http://www.cites.org/eng/app/index.shtml.
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