June 5, 2012 – The world’s oceans cover 140 million square miles and have remained stable for most of human history. But in the last 30 years, man’s impact on the seas has taken a heavy toll: global fish supplies are declining thanks to new technologies and overfishing. Climate change has led to a rise in ocean temperatures and the loss of 75 percent of large sea animals. Plastics and agricultural fertilizers are polluting our oceans and killing marine life. On this month’s Environmental Outlook: How humans are harming the world’s oceans and what can be done about it.
Callum Roberts, marine scientist, professor at the University of York, and author of The Ocean of Life, discusses the threats of serial overfishing, global warming, and polluiton in his interview with Diane Rehm. He mentioned, that while overfishing is a concern for global fish stocks, US fisheries are well-managed:
"The United States is doing well in terms of managing its domestic fisheries. After decades of intensive over-exploitation, finally, in the reauthorization of the Magnuson Act a few years ago, it was made illegal to overfish. And so essentially now, the Fisheries Management Councils, which are scattered around the United States, have to implement measures that will end overfishing, and that is leading to some benefits already. We're seeing the recovery of some fish stocks which were formerly knocked down to very low levels. In that sense, I think the US is leading, I think, internationally. Europe, for example, has among the worst fisheries management in the world." (24:18)
Listen to the full interview at the Diane Rehm Show.