Too many boats taking too many fish

Nearly 70 percent of the world's 200 most valuable fish stocks are either depleted or overfished

By Environmental News Network staff

World fishing fleet overcapacity is five times greater than previously estimated, and 2 1/2 times greater than is needed to catch fish at a sustainable rate, according to a World Wildlife Fund report released today.

What this means, the report says, is that nearly two thirds of the fishing fleet worldwide could be eliminated and there would still be enough boats fishing to catch all the fish that can be sustainably harvested.

The report was released in conjunction with the launching of a four-day, four-city campaign that begins today in Monterey Bay called the 500 Day Countdown Tour.

Fishing overcapacity is due in large part to subsidies the fishing industry has received from the governments of almost every country that has a fishing industry. Subsidies come in the form of fuel tax exemptions, price controls, low interest loans and outright grants for gear or infrastructure. The net result is that there are too many boats taking too many fish, according to the group.

Nearly 70 percent of the world's 200 most valuable fish stocks - including the Atlantic halibut and bluefin tuna - are either depleted or overfished. Evidence shows that loss of fish species is setting off a chain reaction that will ultimately limit possibilities for recovery, according to WWF.

The report also offers eight recommendations for a global plan of action to reduce overcapacity, which Scott Burns, director of WWF's marine program, calls the main force responsible for "strip mining the biological wealth of our seas." The plan will be presented at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's October meeting in Rome. Fishing states are expected to negotiate an agreement on how to deal with the overcapacity crisis at this meeting.

Other critical marine issues WWF is hoping to highlight at today's kickoff of the 500 Day Countdown Tour include:

• Every year, 29 million tons of fish, seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals are killed and discarded into the sea as incidental or unwanted bycatch. In total, one out of very four fish caught is wasted.
• The world has already lost nearly one-tenth of its original coral reefs due to rising ocean temperatures, dynamite fishing, coral bleaching and souvenir hunting. One-third of those remaining are at risk of destruction within the next two decades.
• Every year, more than 700 million gallons of toxic chemicals are dumped into the ocean and 70 to 80 percent of it originates on land.
• Since 1988, there have been more than 22,000 beach closings and advisories because of pollution -- more than 4,000 last year alone.

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