Prognosis for global fisheries looking sick
According to Charles Clover, New Zealand isn't necessarily the bright and shining beacon of excellence in fisheries management.
Clover, who has an environment and publishing background, has produced a Television documentary on overfishing and it is largely based on his book "The end of the line"
Clover claims New Zealand's reputation is under threat from the decimation of our orange roughy fisheries (Orange Roughy sales have been banned by some retailers in the UK) and a lack of knowledge on the real state of our fisheries.
The film highlights concerns that fish stocks could be seriously depleted by the middle of the century if current rates of fishing continue. And there's many fingers pointing at the massive and well equipped fishing fleets that are simply raping and pilaging the world's ocean in an attempt to satisfy an exploding demand for protein. They claim that the global fishing industry has the technology and ability to catch at least four times the global stocksover in a year!
Clover, quoted information from the Ministry of Fisheries showing that last year, officials had enough information to report on the health of 117 fish stocks or substocks out of 628 managed under New Zealand's Quota Management System.
And Clover claims that "Of the assessed stocks, 32 per cent are defined as depleted or collapsed, which is more than in America."
Scary movie......
