![]() ![]() In the sands of Stellwagen Bank, a shallow area roughly 20 miles from the Massachusetts Coast, the plight of one tiny species-the sand lance-reveals how fisheries may change in the future. While overfishing has played a major role in that reduction, the added pressures of warming seas and a changing food web haven’t helped matters, says Llopiz. The coasts of New England and Nova Scotia provide an ominous example: in the early 1980s, the annual haul of cod in the region was more than 50,000 metric tons per year, but today, it’s 2% of that figure. Yet, it’s unlikely that the massive commercial fishing operations, standard practice in the 20th century, will be sustainable deep into the 21st.Īccording to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, 60% of fisheries are already fully exploited and another 30% are badly overused. At the moment, the world gets 17% of its protein from the sea, a number that will increase as cities grow and viable farmland shrinks. Joel Llopiz, who studies fisheries oceanography and ecology at WHOI, says that the most direct impact on humans may be widespread changes in areas we commonly fish. Fifty years out, that growth could expand exponentially.īut exactly how will the future play out? How will we help shape a changing ocean? And how might new practices, policies, and technologies help preserve it as one of the world’s greatest shared resources? These are questions that WHOI scientists are actively studying in a collaborative and interdisciplinary way.įuture fisheries: a shift from capture to culture Over the next ten years-a period that the United Nations has already deemed the “Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development”-we’re almost certain to see growth in ocean-based technologies, aquaculture, and offshore energy, be it wind, oil, gas, or biofuels. As a result, we’ll need to turn to the sea for our livelihood. As climate change alters weather patterns, we’ll experience more droughts, mega-storms, and heat waves, making sustainable food and energy production on land even more difficult. The ocean itself and the ways we use it are poised to change dramatically, making it a very different place from the one we know today.īy 2100, the global population will reach some 11 billion-almost a third larger than today. In the next century, its waters will take a remarkable turn. ![]() ![]() Ever since our ancestors first pulled food and other resources from beneath its surface, the sea has been essential to our growth and survival. For most of our short existence as a species, that has been the case. From our vantage point on land, its monumental scale makes it look immutable, eternal a bottomless resource. Peering out over the blue-green surf of the Atlantic Ocean is like catching a glimpse of infinite time. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |