Global fisheries are in a major crisis, and the problem is growing rapidly

[survey of 1500 worldwide commercially fished species]

Analysis by R. Froese, IfM, Kiel, Germany

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1951 1956 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996

Undeveloped Developing Fully exploited Overfished Collapsed

(t/km2)

(map: V. Christensen, SAUP) Biomass of table fish in 1900 (North Atlantic) Christensen, SAUP

Biomass of table fish in 1999Christensen, SAUP

The Atlantic cod stocks off the east coast of Newfound-land collapsed in 1992, forcing the closure of the fishery

Depleted stocks may not recover even if harvesting is significantly reduced or eliminated entirely

S.E. Asian Waters: similar story

Christensen et al. (in press)

1960 2000

Over 90% of the world’s “large fish” havedisappeared since the 1950’s [sharks, swordfish,sailfish, bluefin tuna, marlin…]

In less than one human lifetime!

The giantsof yesterdayare no longerencountered…

When one fishing groundis fished out…

…the world’s fleetsmove onto the next one…

Christensen et al. (2002). Dakar Conf. Proceedings (in press)

…with predictable results…

In this way the world’sfishing grounds arebeing fished out one after another.

Decade

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Fisheries catches would be declining faster, were it not for the expansion of fishing into deeper areas and further offshore, especially in the Southern Hemisphere…

"Unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the ocean species together, as working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood.”Steve Palumbi, Stanford University

Scientists predict that allthe world’s commercialfisheries will be exhaustedby 2048, at current ratesof fishing

In HK Waters:

• More species of coral (85) than the Caribbean

• 1,000 species of fish (>320 tropical)

• 3 of world’s 4 species of Horseshoe Crab (“living fossil”)

• Breeding beaches for Green Turtle

• Finless Porpoises• Chinese White Dolphin

Reason: HK’s wide diversity of habitat.

“In sum, the diversity of Hong Kong’s marine habitats could be said to be unique in the world for such a small area.”

HK’s Marine Habitat in Critical Condition:

• Reclamation• Pollution• Dredging• OVERFISHING

“The marine ecosystem of the South China Sea is one of the most heavily affected by human fishing in the world. In Hong Kong… the effects of uncontrolled trawling on benthic [sea bottom] structure and fauna have been immense, catches have declined markedly over the past 10 yrs, and fishing mortality rates are extremely high in seven gear sectors. Trawling has large effects: for example in Tolo Harbour each square meter may be trawled three times a day. Consequently, the biomass of long-lived, high value demersal [bottom-dwelling] fish species has been greatly reduced, if not eliminated from many areas, and the species composition has shifted toward low-value, short-lived pelagic fish, a dismal example of “fishing down the food web”…

“EFFECTS ON THE BENTHIC FISH FAUNA DURING AND AFTER LARGE-SCALE DREDGING IN THE SOUTHEASTERN WATERS OF HONG KONG”

Albert Leung, AFCD

“…ecological stresses brought on by the dredging activity seemed to be transient and less severe than that brought on by uncontrolled fishing. Diversity, evenness, fish size and fauna seemed to suffer more from an overfishing situation that has persisted over the years.”

“The average weight of individuals caught were only 10.3g, 6.1g and 9.2g in 1992, 1995 and 1998, respectively.”

10g fish….

GOV’T-COMMISSIONED REPORT of 1998:

• HK’s fish stocks in “critical state”

• “Urgent action required to rescue fish stocks from overexploited state”

• Extreme destructiveness of inshore trawling well-recognised: bans in CHINA, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines…

‘Fishing down’ marine food webs occurs everywhere.

SOS: “Save Our Seas”

拯救海洋大行動的目標Objectives of the SOS Campaign

•於本港大部份水域禁止底拖網捕魚A ban on bottom trawling in most of Hong Kong waters

•闢建具適當面積的禁捕區Creation of sizeable no-take zones in Hong Kong

TRAWLING…

Undisturbed soft-bottom community

Soft-bottom community in nearby trawled area

NO-TAKE ZONES…

NO-TAKE ZONE:

A geographical area where all fishing is banned

Increasingly popular and successful fishing management tool around the world

BASIC IDEA:

Fishing outside the reserve will improve as a result of the fishes protected inside the reserve.

Theoretical Fisheries Management Benefits of No-take zones

NO-TAKE ZONES: how large do they need to be?

Daniel Pauly: 20% of world’s oceans just to return our fisheries to 1970s levels

Bill Ballantine: 10% for science & education, …20% for proper conservation of species, …30% for the general good of fishing, …50% if the sea were to be intensively used

WWF Proposal onNo-Take Zones:

1.30% of HK waters no-take by 2016

2.“Immediate” no-take in Tolo, Port Shelter and Marine Parks (9.8%)

Goat Island Reserve, New Zealand

“In the 547 hectares of the reserve, the largest snapper are eight times the size of the snapper outside. They are also 14 times more numerous… Hidden in holes and crevices in the rock ledges, are crayfish, much larger than those in the commercially fished waters outside… Although excluded from the reserve itself on pain of a NZ$50,000 fine, fishermen are happy because they catch as many crayfish on the reserve boundary as they would on many more miles of coastline… Snapper are estimated to produce 18 times more eggs on reserves than in other parts of the sea… egg production on 8 km of marine reserve is equivalent to egg production on 145 km of unprotected coastline.”

The Vision:

1.New Economic Model, based on recreation and responsible tourism development:• Commercial pleasure craft• Water taxis• Snorkelling safaris• Scuba diving

2.Find allies among community leaders and existing operators for this vision.

3.Reassure fishing community that Government will initiate multi-departmental effort to ease migration of fishermen into this new model: fishermen have priority in new jobs created.

This New Economic Model is far more valuable to the local community than the current model based on declining fisheries.

Save Our Seas Seminar for Fishers

Ocean Conservancy, NOAA | MAP: Mary Kate Cannistra,

The Washington Post - June 15, 2006

General opinions on marine environmental issues

I think more effort should be made to protect threatened marine life and habitats in Hong Kong.

Somewhat don’t like9%

Top 2 Boxes: 94%Bottom 2 Boxes: 1%

Strongly agree46%

Somewhat agree48%

Neither agree

nor disagree

3%

DISAGREE

25

8

9

10

11

52

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Don't Know

Business Community

HK Population

NGOs

Everyone in the world

Government

Who or which organizations, do you think, should take responsibility in protecting HK’s marine environment & species?

While about 1 out of 2 believe the government has the main responsibility of protecting Hong Kong’s

marine environment & species, 25% don’t know whose role it is to safeguard Hong Kong’s marine

environment.

A great majority agree that more effort should be made

to protect threatened marine habitats in Hong Kong.

Awareness of marine conservation issues

Despite thinking that Hong Kong fisheries are still sustainable, almost everyone claimed “no-take zones” are nonetheless reasonable.

Opinion on “no-take zones” are similar across recreational fishers and non-fishers; both groups believe no-take zones are reasonable.

Awareness of marine conservation issues

The HK population in general differs on what percentage of HK waters should be designated as “no take zones”

Mean = 46.8%

Mode = 50%

When it comes to deciding on the % of Hong Kong waters that should be designated as “no-take zones”…

Recreational fishers generally gave lower % figures for no-take zones than non-fishers.

RecreationalNon-

fishersfishers

Mean 42.8%47.9%Mode 50%50%

At the moment, the actual % of HK waters designated as a no-take zone is less than 1%.