Overfishing
Our oceans were once healthy bodies of water teeming with an abundance of fish. However, there’s now a giant sucking sound in the oceans, and, unfortunately, that drain is our stomachs. Since we’re catching fish faster than they can reproduce, we’re nearly at the point of no-return for many fish populations. Our dinner table options are becoming slim: Most fish populations have been depleted by 70-95%. In the past 50 years, 90% of all large ocean predators, such as tuna, marlin, swordfish, sharks, cod and flounder have been killed due to overfishing.
Fish is the number one source of protein on the planet. Nearly three billion people worldwide rely on fish for food and that number is expected to increase by 10% in the next decade, which means an additional 11 million tons of fish will be required to feed everyone. The U.S. ranks third, after Japan and China, as the largest consumer of seafood worldwide.
Fishing has become an industry dominated by large corporations, such as Mitsubishi, who use trawlers, which are nets that are several miles long to scoop up everything in their boat’s trail. What they don’t want, known as by-catch, is dumped back into the ocean. Unfortunately, in their quest for one type of fish, millions of others, such as turtles, sharks, dolphins and other unwanted fish die in these nets. For every four pounds of fish caught, one pound is thrown away. It is even worse for shrimp: for every pound caught, four pounds are by-catch.
Millions of marine mammals, such as turtles, sea lions and dolphins meet a similar fate when they become entangled in fishing nets and other garbage in the oceans. All six types of turtles in US waters are listed as threatened or endangered species: the primary threat to them is entanglement, especially the longline fisheries. Many fish consume the plastics and toxins we dump into our oceans and become unsafe for humans to eat.
The real possibility of oceans devoid of big fin sharks, tuna and countless other seafood and marine life is frightening. As a consumer, there’s much you can do to make the right choices to protect these species.
Get your Monterey Bay Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Card and avoid eating endangered fish »
What You Can Do
- Choose non-endangered seafood that is safe for you and our oceans. Download a Monterey Bay Aquarium pocket guide.
- Calculate the mercury levels of your seafood.
- Does your supermarket carry sustainable seafood? Find out how they rank, here.
- Support the Shark Conservation Act.
- Urge Congress to stand strong on rebuilding our fish populations .
Fast Facts
- Turtles are as old as dinosaurs; they have been living on Earth for more than 100 million years.
- Blue fin tuna can be up to 14 feet long, weigh over 1,000 pounds and be sold for as much as $180,000 each.
- There’s over 1,000 species of sharks and they have existed for over 400 million years. 20% are threatened with extinction.
- 26-73 million sharks are killed for their fins annually.
- Learn more about the fish in the oceans: what is good to eat, endangered and/or dangerous for human consumption and good alternatives.
