I know in the run up to Tuesday non-political diaries are not all that "pressing," but
this is something that must be put out there:
There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue, according to a major scientific study.
Stocks have collapsed in nearly one-third of sea fisheries, and the rate of decline is accelerating.
Writing in the journal Science, the international team of researchers says fishery decline is closely tied to a broader loss of marine biodiversity.
(emphasis added)
BBC is reporting on a scientific study that combines the data from four different sources:
This is a vast piece of research, incorporating scientists from many institutions in Europe and the Americas, and drawing on four distinctly different kinds of data.
Catch records from the open sea give a picture of declining fish stocks.
...
Historical records from coastal zones in North America, Europe and Australia also show declining yields, in step with declining species diversity; these are yields not just of fish, but of other kinds of seafood too.
...
Experiments performed in small, relatively contained ecosystems show that reductions in diversity tend to bring reductions in the size and robustness of local fish stocks. This implies that loss of biodiversity is driving the declines in fish stocks seen in the large-scale studies.
The final part of the jigsaw is data from areas where fishing has been banned or heavily restricted.
These show that protection brings back biodiversity within the zone, and restores populations of fish just outside.
The good news is that when zones of protection are established, biodiversity comes back. This does not have to be an irreversible catastrophe. But it is an impending crisis that demands action on a global scale.
Unfortunately, the lack of political will and action has created irreversible catastrophes already, specifically in the Cod fishing off of Cananda.
Without a ban, scientists fear the North Sea stocks could follow the Grand Banks cod of eastern Canada into apparently terminal decline.
"I'm just amazed, it's very irrational," he said.
"You have scientific consensus and nothing moves. It's a sad example; and what happened in Canada should be such a warning, because now it's collapsed it's not coming back."
So maybe my hook to you all is that global action can only happen if the US is willing to lead. And we will only be ain a position to lead if we elect politicians who think scientific data is worth listening to, and that our planet is a precious resource being borrowed from our children. Do you think we have those politicians in office right now? (OK, end of my "politicking" - go vote for a Democrat wiseguy/gal!)
50 years is not that long. I hope to be around for that long. I certainly hope my children will be around for that long and more. We are currently on a path to leave ourselves and our children a barren ocean. Come November 8th, our vast talents and skills must be put to use to reverse this trend.