Piscean Pangs

THIS is grim warning for both fishermen and fish-eaters.After four decades in which landings increased by over 300 per cent, most of the world's fisheries are now considered fully or heavily exploited, warns a team of top fisheries scientists. In a weighty compendium of more than 25 peer-reviewed papers published this month by the American Fisheries Society, biologists and managers paint a picture of increasing demand for fish products and more fish-catch—particularly in the developing world where more than 60 per cent of the world's fish are now caught. Meanwhile, current fisheries operate at huge deficits and waste nearly a third of their catch.

The documents show how the crisis in fisheries today stems from a history of open-door policy and subsidies. This has led to an increase in wasteful and destructive fishing practices, ranging from the Alaska ground fish fishery in which large industrial vessels compete in a massive "race for fish", to small-scale, tropical, artisanal fisheries where the use of poisons and dynamite is spreading.