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SCIENTISTS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT the biggest single threat to marine biodiversity today is overfishing.
Most of the world's major fisheries are depleted or rapidly deteriorating. Wherever they operate, commercial fishing fleets are exceeding the oceans' ecological limits. They are unraveling the intricate web of marine biodiversity that makes the oceans such a vital and productive part of the Earth's life support system.
Fisheries research and management institutions everywhere have fallen far behind the rapid advances in fishing technology, which makes overexploitation of fish stocks the rule rather than the exception. Instead of coming to grips with the need for dramatic cuts, nations argue over who will get how much of what remains of dwindling fish stocks.
Meanwhile, the financial captains of the global fishing industry plough full steam ahead on their unsustainable, competitive rush to vacuum the oceans and turn fish into cash.
Report on the World's Oceans -
1,048KB
Greenpeace Research Laboratories, May 1998
THE WORLD'S OCEANS and seas cover 71% of the surface of the earth. This huge biological system comprises very diverse habitats and is, in some respects, richer in biodiversity than life on land - more major taxonomic groupings (phyla) of animals can be found in the oceans than on land. Oceans are very important for human existence, not only because they supply us with fish and other coastal resources, but also because they function as a regulator of atmospheric composition, nutrient cycling and biological control of natural systems......Assessment of the World's Fishing Fleet 1991-1997
John Fitzpatrick and Chris Newton, May 5, 1998
THE EXPANSION IN SIZE and capacity of the world's fishing fleets, as noted by the FAO 1995 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, has continued to increase over the period 1991 - 1996. A slow down in new additions occurred in 1995 and 1996. In 1997, the orders for new vessels show a return to construction of vessels with large tonnage. Throughout the period, additions to the world's fleet continue to exceed deletions. In this connection, there is evidence that the fishing fleets are not being restructured, that capacity is not being effectively reduced, and that states with open registers are increasing their capacity......Assessment of the World's Fishing Fleet 1991-1997
John Fitzpatrick and Chris Newton
THE ASSESSMENT FINDS that the expansion in the size and capacity of the world's fishing fleets continued to increase over the period 1991 - 1996. A slow down in new additions occurred in 1995 and 1996. In 1997, the orders for new vessels show a return to construction of vessels with large tonnage. The authors recommend a fifty percent (50%) reduction in the present size of the world's industrialized fishing fleet......Principles For Ecologically Responsible, Low-Impact Fisheries
Greenpeace International, May 1998
HUMANITY DEPENDS FOR ITS SURVIVAL on the healthy functioning of the planet's ecosystems. The oceans are the origin of life on earth and are home to much of the earth's rich evolutionary heritage of life forms and species......It Can't Go On Forever
Greenpeace International
FISHING IS AN ANCIENT HUMAN TRADITION -- one that satisfies vital food needs of hundreds of millions of people and is economically, socially and culturally important. Today, however, tradition has been transformed into a resource extraction industry spanning the globe. In its wake, fish populations are being dangerously depleted; nature's balance is being altered across vast areas of the world's oceanic ecosystems in ways that may be irreversible, and key species in the complex, diverse web of marine life are threatened......Aquaculture Threat to Food Security
Greenpeace International
THERE IS A WIDELY HELD BELIEF that aquaculture (also called mariculture or fish-farming) will make up the 20 to 30 ton shortfall in supply of seafood, predicted by the year 2010. With respect to fish food supplies to the poor, however, the net effect is not clear. Aquaculture operations sometimes make the poor worse off. while some types of aquaculture can make a positive contribution to local nutritional needs, most modern, 'intensive' aquaculture operations are directed at export markets and do not provide increased food supplies for local poor.......Fishing for Farm Feeds and Fertilizers
Greenpeace International
THE EXPLOSION IN DEMAND for protein in response to rising populations from the mid-1950s took two forms which stimulated two different types of fisheries -- one providing food for direct human consumption, and a second source of demand for protein from increasingly industrialized pig and poultry farmers in the developed nations. Recently, a newer industry, aquaculture, has added to the demand for stock feed. These industries use high-protein artificial diets and one of the chief sources of protein is fish meal......
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