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 stocks in all oceans.
Harmful fishing subsidies are a major contributor to the decline of fish stocks worldwide. A landmark report by Rashid Sumaila, along with Dr. Pauly and others at the University of British Columbia, estimated total global subsidies in 2003 — the latest available data — at $25 billion to $29 billion.
From 15 percent to 30 percent of the subsidies went toward paying for ships’ fuel, while another 60 percent went to increase size and upgrade equipment.
Read the full article in The New York Times.