Over-fishing, not climate change, is greatest danger to world's oceans

Louise Gray, The Telegraph 10 Sep 08;

The biggest current threat to marine life is not climate change but over fishing and mankind's demand for water, experts have warned.

A study, drawing on the expertise of more than 100 top aquatic ecologists, looked at the world's water-based ecosystems, including lakes, rivers, tropical waters and Arctic seas.

The state of the world's oceans has been of much concern recently, particularly the affect of increasing temperatures on marine life as global warming takes hole.

However the research, led by Professor Nicholas Polunin of Newcastle University, found man's serious impact on aquatic life will happen long before climate change takes full effect.

He said: "Across the 21 different ecosystems we have looked at, direct human actions have long been exceeding - and will long continue to exceed - the effects of climate change in almost every case.

"That is not to say that climate change isn't happening or is unimportant.

"Coral reefs are threatened by oceanic warming and the release of carbon frozen and buried in wetlands has major implications for the Earth.

"But the demise of fish stocks through fishing and decline of rivers through excessive off-take are just two dramatic examples of how people are directly changing aquatic ecosystems and threatening the natural services that they deliver."

He urged the science community not to overplay the effect of global warming, in comparison to the direct effect mankind has had on the natural world.

"Climate change has got people thinking about the future at all levels and the next step in our ecological planning of the planet's water resources needs to be more comprehensive, encompassing growing human consumption, its causes and consequences."

Fishing for bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean should be banned, an independent panel has said. The expert panel was commission by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

In its final report, which has been seen by the World Wildlife Fund, it concluded all activity should be suspended in the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery, and sanctuaries should be created in all main spawning areas as a matter of urgency in order to save the endangered species.

"Such staggering conclusions from independent experts only reinforce what WWF has been saying for years - this is a fishery grossly out of control, and if the fishery is not closed now pending a radical management overhaul, this majestic species may be confined to the history books," Dr Sergi Tudela, head of fisheries at WWF Mediterranean said.

The bluefin tuna is considered to be endangered. However it is still in high demand in restaurants around the world. A recent investigation by Greenpeace and WWF found the fish was being served at a Michelin-starred restaurant part owned by Robert De Niro.