Mapping out "danger zones" for fisheries management
FERU members William Cheung and Rashid Sumaila mapped the locations of six major conservation ‘danger zones’, where short-term thinking and the temptation to profit from overfishing are overwhelming conservation needs. (See The Daily Mail).
Daily Mail: Research identifies six fishing 'danger zones'… where conservation is outweighed by greed and short-term profit
Researchers have identified six major conservation ‘danger zones’ around the world – where the temptation to profit from overfishing outweighs the appetite for conservation. William Cheung and Rashid Sumaila, from the University of British Columbia, analysed figures from countries with major fishing industries in the world’s oceans. The combined economic figures from the various industries […]
Wall Street Journal: Singapore: The World’s “Unhealthiest” Country?
Singapore’s lawmakers have always worried their city-state’s growth is unsustainable given its lack of water, energy and other natural resources. But a new study says matters may be worse than they know, with the country’s current “ecological deficit” leaving it last out of 150 countries ranked for their overall economic and ecological health. The Eco2 […]
The Eco-squared index of nations
On February 20, 2012, the final day of the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting, Dr. Rashid Sumaila unveiled his team’s “Eco2 Index”, which offers a joint measure of ecological and economic performance of nations. UBC partnered with the Global Footprint Network, an international think tank, to compile the list. “We […]
Global News: Vancouver scientists unveil global index measuring economy and ecology
While Canada has an abundance of resources from forests to fisheries to oil sands, scientists suggest that the country is edging closer to the limit of using up our environment. At the moment, Canada ranks 15th out of 150 countries in the Eco2 Index, which measures the overall economic and ecological “health” of the globe’s […]
Sumaila, U.R., Cisneros-Montemayor, A.M., Dyck, A., Huang, L., Cheung, W., Jacquet, J., Kleisner, K., Lam, V., McCrea-Strub, A., Swartz, W., Watson, R., Zeller, D., and Pauly, D. (2012) Impact of the Deepwater Horizon well blowout on the economics of US Gulf fisheries. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Published on the web 15 February 2012, 10.1139/f2011-171.
Abstract: Marine oil spills usually harm organisms at two interfaces: near the water surface and on shore. However, because of the depth of the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon well blowout, deeper parts of the Gulf of Mexico are likely impacted. We estimate the potential negative economic effects of this blowout and oil spill on commercial […]
New York Times: Jack mackerel, a dietary staple in Africa, faces decimation
The loss of jack mackerel, which have fallen by 90 per cent over the past 20 years, foreshadow a larger global calamity. An eight-country investigation of the fishing industry in the southern Pacific by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists shows how the fate of the jack mackerel may foretell the progressive collapse of fish […]
Dr. Sumaila to address Prince Charles' ISU Marine Programme Launch
FERU Director Dr. Rashid Sumaila is among ten people chosen to speak at the Prince’s Charities International Sustainability Unit (ISU) Marine Programme Launch in London on Friday, February 3, 2012. The event will launch a major international campaign to “halt the destruction of the oceans through overfishing”. For more information about the event, check out […]
Vancouver Sun: Declining fisheries will affect us all soon enough
By Rashid Sumaila, Special to the Sun The sad story of Newfoundland’s cod industry is well known: When the region’s once-thriving cod population collapsed in 1992, 40,000 jobs vanished along with a way of life. Atlantic cod, previously abundant, became an endangered species. Char species, so critical to first nations communities, now face similar threats. […]