The end of the line

• Marty G
• 14 years ago
• Categories: Conservation, Environment

This month there is a series of screenings of The End of the Line around New Zealand. This acclaimed documentary looks at how overfishing is destroying fish populations and ultimately endangering the industries and cultures that depend on them.

The positive thing about overfishing is that, unlike climate change, the solution is relatively simple and low cost. Most fish populations can recover very quickly (most famously illustrated by the resurgence in fish populations on the Grand Banks when World War 2 made it unsafe for trawlers).

If only we would give them the chance, we could let fish populations recover to their original levels and the sustainable harvest from those larger populations would actually be much larger than what we can sustainably take today.