Marine species are in potential catastrophic decline — WWF report

“More than that, we are simply drawn to the ocean and its wildlife, whether a trip to the seaside or an encounter with the penguins at the ZSL London Zoo”, said Ken Norris, Director of Science at the Zoological Society of London.

“It is truly stunning that we can have that level of impact in such a short period of time”, said Richard Leck, director of marine program in WWF Australia.

It’s an analysis of a ZSL database called the Living Planet Index, which tracks changes in animal population sizes around the world-including 5,829 distinct populations of 1,234 marine species-from 1970 to 2012 (PDF). It found a 49 per cent drop in numbers among the 6,000 populations studied around the world. Underscoring the severe drop in commercial fish stocks, the report details the dramatic loss of 74 per cent of the family of popular food fish that includes tunas, mackerels and bonitos. And coral reefs continue to shrink.

For example, in addition to 29 percent of global fish stocks that are overexploited, overfishing now threatens around one in four species of sharks, rays and skates. Some recovery was made but it did not last and animals like marine turtles and sharks are on a steady decline. However, other relatives of this species, for instance, albacore and yellowtail tuna, which are mostly served in restaurants and sold in tins, are also gradually becoming extremely rare.

There is some good news, however.

“The ocean is a renewable resource that can provide for all future generations if the pressures are dealt with effectively”.

The numbers revealed are extremely worrying, given that large fish represent a major food source for many people who only depend on fishing to survive.

The collapse of the world’s ocean ecosystems warned researchers, could trigger huge economic decline, and undermine the fight of eradicating malnutrition and poverty.

Experts note that the marine population declines were at their peak in the 1970s and 1980s, as improved technology led to over fishing, but have stabilized in most cases since 1990.

“Every one of us can take meaningful action, starting today, by ensuring that all the seafood we eat is responsibly sourced and Marine Stewardship Council accredited”. She said: “By over-exploiting fisheries, degrading coastal habitats and not addressing global warming, we are sowing the seeds of ecological economic catastrophe”.

While climate change ravages vulnerable and rich countries around the world, another disaster looms in the background – our oceans are being fished into total extinction.