Seafood lovers around the world will be disappointed to learn that in 50 years there will be virtually nothing left to fish in the sea, if current fishing trends continue. Major scientific study shows that if fishing around the world continues at it’s current pace, more species will continue to die out and ecosystems will unravel, resulting in a “global collapse” of all fished species by 2048 (nytimes.com).

Most humans are ignorant to the essential roles of the ocean and the possible consequences for all life on earth. The ocean is not our never-ending food supply -it can and will be destroyed if we continue to treat it as a bottomless fishing hole, not to mention a waste dump.

Researchers have found that 29% of fished species have been fished so heavily or were tremendously affected by pollution or loss of habitat that they were down 10% of previous levels in 2003. It seems that fisherman don’t realize that their over fishing is not only hurting the environment, but destroying their profession as well.

“We looked at absolutely everything-all the fish, shellfish, invertebrates, everything that people consume that comes from the ocean, all of it, globally,” said Boris Worm, a researcher at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia in an interview for the New York Times.

The global catch has declined 13% between 1994 and 2003, perhaps because of the use of bigger nets, sea vessels, and other new technology used for spotting fish and bringing in bigger catches (BBC.com).

Experiments performed in small ecosystems show that the reduction of vast varieties of fish bring reductions in the size and robustness of local fish supplies, implying that the decrease in biodiversity is part of the cause of the declining fish stocks seen in large-scale studies.

“We’re learning that in the oceans, species are very strongly linked to each other – probably more so than on land.”

“All parts of it are integral to the structure; if you remove parts, particularly at the bottom, it’s detrimental to everything on top and threatens the whole structure,” Dr. Worm told BBC.com.

The research does not implicate that some of the damage is from individual activities such as over fishing, pollution, or habitat loss. Instead, it shows the cumulative harm done across the globe, and the results are a clear indication that more of the oceans should be protected.

“The benefits of marine-protected areas are quite clear in a few cases; there’s no doubt that protecting areas leads to a lot more fish and larger fish, and less vulnerability,” said Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the global marine programme at IUCN, the World Conservation Union told BBC.com.

Protecting fish stocks demands the attention of politicians to act on scientific advice. In Europe, politicians have ignored recommendations to halt the North Sea cod fishery year after year. Scientists fear without a ban the North Sea stocks could follow the Grand Banks cod of eastern Canada into terminal decline, according to BBC.com.

It is sad that we live in a society that is more concerned about making money or winning an election and less about the environment they are destroying. Governments are supposed to protect fisheries for future generations by limiting the annual catch. However, self-interest takes over; politicians don’t want to impose limits that will hurt the fishing industry before the next election.

“You have scientific consensus and nothing moves,” said Worm. “It’s a sad example; and what happened in Canada should be such a warning, because now it’s collapsed it’s not coming back.” (BBC.com).