Publication Name

Vancouver Sun

Author(s)

Rashid Sumaila

The sad story of Newfoundland’s cod industry is well known: When the region’s once-thriving cod population collapsed in 1992, 40,000 jobs vanished along with a way of life. Atlantic cod, previously abundant, became an endangered species.

Char species, so critical to first nations communities, now face similar threats. Globally, fisheries are at risk because of overfishing exacerbated by climate change. Human apathy may be the biggest threat to declining fish species, though, as too many governments and individuals remain in denial about the urgency of the problem.

The warning signs of a growing crisis are clear: the Atlantic bluefin tuna spawning population, estimated at just 40 per cent of its peak in 1974, is now a “species of concern,” along with its cousin, the Pacific bluefin. In British Columbia, ling cod have nearly disappeared.

Such alarming losses result from ecological as well as economic pressures, and the stakes are high as more and more people need food. The planet’s population, projected to exceed nine billion by 2050, clicked past seven billion in 2011.

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Declining fish populations will, without a doubt, affect all of us soon enough. In Canada, first nations communities are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and overfishing.

Reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and solving the overfishing problem will be essential steps toward protecting global fisheries. In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will soon set annual catch limits for every federal managed fish species. The U.S. Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is an excellent starting point that could help guide other countries in promoting fisheries recovery.

Read the full story, Declining Fisheries Will Affect Us All Soon Enough, on the Vancouver Sun website.