(ORDO NEWS) — A new study by scientists from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami (UM), USA, found that more than 85% of snapper and rock grouper studied are overfished as a result of increased human demand for seafood.
Due to population growth, the amount of fish caught is increasing. Alas, but animals do not have time to restore their populations.
The research team analyzed 30 years of data on the abundance of 15 fish species that live in the coral reefs of South Florida. So she found that three out of five grouper species, eight snapper species and two grunt fish species were below 40% of the minimum potential spawning rate. And this indicator is the norm necessary to maintain the fish population.
After analyzing the data, the scientists realized that it would take about 10 years for the population to recover to the minimum sustainable level, and 22 years to reach an equilibrium where a sustainable catch would be possible.
The problem of overfishing has been around for a long time. Experts say that, first of all, it is dangerous by the loss of biodiversity, which will affect humans. As well as the loss of a huge source of food.
To be sure, the growing demand for marine products is strongly linked to the growth of the world‘s population. In addition, fish is considered as an alternative to meat food. In many countries, such food is much cheaper than other sources of protein.
Alas, due to the lack of certain norms for sustainable fishing, many species are already on the verge of extinction. For example, pollock. And commercial stocks of cod, hake, sea bass and flounder decreased by 95%
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