The NYT reports that Science is about to issue a big study on the state of the ocean’s biodiversity. “If fishing around the world continues at its present pace, more and more species will vanish, marine ecosystems will unravel and there will be “global collapse” of all species currently fished, possibly as soon as midcentury, fisheries experts and ecologists are predicting.”
Sigh. We know. We had a huge package on the state of the oceans in the spring. It is an essential read to any one who likes to swim with, gaze at, or eat fish. Or, for that matter, cares about our own survival, because if the oceans go quiet, life on land will follow quickly behind.
So read the amazing overarching piece by Julia Whitty. (Julia also wrote our cover story for the current issue, on getting over our denial and dealing with global warming.) Mike Robbins wrote a nice piece about how the U.S. fisheries regulators are falling down on the job. And H. Bruce Franklin wrote about the long-suffering menhaden, the little fish that anchors the east coast food chain, and which is being fished to extinction by a company owned by a big Bush supporter.
And you can do your part, by learning what fish to avoid eating, and which ones are still doing fine (and free of mercury) by reading Dan Duane’s piece on how to eat fish without fear.
