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Tuna is a popular fish, from lunchtime sandwiches, to trendy poké bowls Americans are eating a lot more seafood and the mighty tuna may be at risk. A new study, published in Fisheries Research has found that the amount of tuna being fished in the world’s oceans has increased by a staggering 1000% over the past 6 decades–a rate that scientists are calling unsustainable.
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The developing human brain needs a molecule called docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA which is an omega-3 fatty acid. However, as Scientific American recently reported, a new study “predicts that by 2100, increasing water temperatures brought on by a warming planet could result in 96 percent of the world’s population not having access to an omega-3 […]
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The IPCC Oceans report released on Wednesday painted a dire picture of the health of the ocean today. The ocean is a carbon sponge and has absorbed 93% of the excess heat caused by climate change and it is reaching a breaking point according to the IPCC. But another panel that was formed last year […]
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Just as the IPCC Report warned that warming will lead to loss of glaciers and permafrost, Italian officials had to close a road and put locals on emergency notice because a 250,000-cubic-meter mass of ice is about to break off the highest mountain in the Alps, Mont Blanc, due to unusually high temperatures during August […]
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But now, with the rise of social impact investing from philanthropic organizations such as the Walton Family Foundation, companies like Catch Together are building a nationwide network of community fishing permit “banks” that provide low-interest loans to fishermen so that they can lease and eventually buy a fishing permit.
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Andy has led Oceana since 2003, and since that time it has grown to be the largest international conservation organization fully dedicated to protecting the oceans. ODP: Nearly one billion people around the world woke up hungry today. And the number of people on the planet keeps growing. You believe that the ocean can play […]
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Two new studies shed greater light on the impacts that climate change is having on oceans and fisheries.
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Broadly speaking, the Green New Deal similarly envisions a “massive program of investments in clean-energy jobs and infrastructure, meant to transform not just the energy sector, but the entire economy. It is meant both to decarbonize the economy and to make it fairer and more just.” The devil is always in the details, but in our view, this Blue Economy vision should not be overlooked in developing the Green New Deal. The key elements within the framework of the Green New Deal should ensure an overall more sustainable Blue Economy that supports a healthy ocean and thus healthy human communities – with an emphasis on the shipping, energy production, and fisheries sectors.
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A new “front” opened yesterday in the fight to ensure that the world’s ocean resources are used sustainably, with the launch of the Stephenson Ocean Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The Project’s web site explains its objective — to raise awareness about the ways that competition for marine resources contributes to instability and geopolitical risk for the United States.
Why This Matters: Full disclosure — I (Monica) have had a long standing interest in the issue of ocean resources and national security, and have been working to help CSIS get the ball rolling on the project. I believe that if you substituted the word “oil” for “fish” in the paragraphs above, no one would even blink at the national security implications and environmental significance of this work. Fish in my view could be even more important than oil to a larger segment of the public globally — those in the developing world who don’t have cars but do eat fish. The resources available at the Department of Defense (both technical and financial) could be a game changer for efforts to ensure ocean sustainability into the future.
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Warming ocean temperatures are causing massive changes for fishermen, some of which may force them out of business, according to several recent stories examining the impacts of climate change on the fishing industry.
Why This Matters: Warming waters that shift fish populations make a barely viable business downright impossible for many small and medium-sized fishing operations. Not to mention the additional fuel and time it takes to chase fewer fish, that are now found farther from ports. Watching this play out is painful in U.S. fishing communities, but for many parts of the world, it could become a real food security crisis. The U.S. government currently is very lethargic in changing its fisheries management schemes even as the evidence of shifting fish populations grows. Given the challenges of climate change, a more engaged approach to fisheries management that takes climate change into account is needed. It will benefit the fishermen and the fish populations as well.
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