In 2006, a multiyear study of global fisheries concluded that the world's fisheries are at high risk of collapse by 2048 if current trends continue. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, over 70 percent of fisheries are either fully exploited or depleted. A great deal of attention has been paid to the human consequences of declining fish stocks--over 200 million people worldwide depend on fishing for their livelihoods and food security. A recent article in Science focuses on the ecological impacts of overfishing, including current threats to the Magellanic penguin of Argentina.
State of Exploitation of Marine Fishery Resources, 2004
Source: FAO, 2004. The state of world fisheries and aquaculture - SOFIA
Ecosystem Interactions
According to Skewgar et al., authors of Anchovy Fishery Threat to Patagonian Ecosystem, the anchovy is a key link in the food chain in southern Atlantic ecosystems. Anchovies account for over 50 percent of the Magellanic penguin's diet, and are also important to sea lions, dolphins, birds, and other fish species. Although anchovy populations are naturally variable, most predators can survive bad years when they are followed by good ones. Harvesting an unsustainable level of anchovies is likely to disrupt the food chain, although exact impacts are extremely difficult for scientists to predict.
Managing the Anchovy Fishery
In 2003, Argentina's Federal Fisheries Council (FFC) approved a program to increase anchovy exploitation, resulting in the largest annual catches in over 30 years. Anchovy revenues are intended to replace those of the Argentine hake, for which a state of emergency was declared after being fished near exhaustion in 1999. The FFC's decision also reflects a rising demand for fish meal to feed the global aquaculture industry, which has expanded by over 50 percent since 1998.
Increasing Proportion of Aquaculture in Fish Production
Source: FAO, 2004. The state of world fisheries and aquaculture - SOFIA
Once significant investment in a fishery has occurred, social pressures make it politically difficult to decrease fishing effort, even in light of ecological concerns. As a result, the authors argue that the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) set by the FFC must include a safety margin to buffer against natural variation in the anchovy population and unexpected food chain interactions. Sustainable management of the anchovy fishery will also require ongoing collection of population data regarding anchovies and other impacted species.
RELATED LINKS:
Full article: Anchovy Fishery Threat to Patagonian Ecosystem
EarthTrends
Data Table: Trends in Marine and Inland Fisheries Capture by Species 2003
Feature: Farming Fish, The Aquaculture Boom
Map: Periods of Peak Fishery Catches and Declines Since the Peak Year
