Where Have All
the
Fish
Gone?
A yellow goby looks through the window of its soda can home in Suruga bay, Japan.
track 1-10 ThroughouT hisTory, people have thought of the ocean as a diverse and limitless source of food.
Yet today there are clear signs that the oceans have a limit. Most of the big fish in our oceans are
A
now gone. One major factor is overfishing. People are taking so many fish from the sea that species
cannot replace themselves. How did this problem start? And what is the future for fish?
Source of the Problem A bottom trawler drags along the
ocean floor of baja California.
For centuries, local fishermen caught only enough fish
for themselves and their communities. However, in the mid-
20th century, people around the world became interested in
B making protein-rich foods, such as fish, cheaper and more
available. In response to this, governments gave money and
other help to the fishing industry.
As a result, the fishing industry grew. Large commercial
fishing1 companies began catching enormous quantities of
fish for profit and selling them to worldwide markets. They
started using new fishing technologies that made fishing
C
easier. These technologies included sonar2 to locate fish, and
dragging large nets along the ocean floor. Modern technology
allows commercial fishermen to catch many more fish than
local fishermen can.
A thresher shark struggles in a net in the Gulf of California.
An estimated 38 million sharks are caught every year.
1
Commercial fishing is fishing for profit.
2
Sonar technology uses sound waves to locate objects, for example, underwater.
Rise of the Little Fish
In 2003, a scientific report estimated that only 10 percent remained of the large ocean fish
populations that existed before commercial fishing began. Specifically, commercial fishing has
greatly reduced the number of large predatory fish,3 such as cod and tuna. Today, there are
D
plenty of fish in the sea, but they’re mostly just the little ones. Small fish, such as sardines and
anchovies, have more than doubled in number—largely because there are not enough big fish
to eat them.
This trend is a problem because ecosystems need predators to be stable. Predators are
necessary to weed out4 the sick and weak individuals. Without this weeding out, or survival of
E
the fittest, ecosystems become less stable. As a result, fish are less able to survive difficulties such
as pollution, environmental change, or changes in the food supply.
Where fish
are caught
Early 2000s
Intensity of
Low Ocean Catch High
A Future for Fish?
A study published in 2006 in the journal Science made a prediction: If we continue to
overfish the oceans, most of the fish that we catch now—from tuna to sardines—will largely
F disappear by 2050. However, the researchers say we can prevent this situation if we restore the
ocean’s biodiversity.5
Scientists say there are a few ways we can do this. First, commercial fishing companies
need to catch fewer fish. This will increase the number of large predatory fish. Another way to
improve the biodiversity of the oceans is to develop aquaculture—fish farming. Growing fish on
G farms means we can rely less on wild-caught fish. This gives species the opportunity to restore
themselves. In addition, we can make good choices about what we eat. For example, we can
stop eating the fish that are the most in danger. If we are careful today, we can still look forward
to a future with fish.
3
Predatory fish are fish that kill and eat other fish.
4
To weed out is to remove something because it is not good or strong enough.
5
Biodiversity is the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species.
