The Christian Science Monitor
Empty Oceans
Bright Green Blog
For thousands of years, humans saw the seas as an infinite source of plenty. But the industrialized fishing fleets of the 20th century found the ocean's bounds. Today, fish stocks are disappearing and undersea ecosystems are changing in ways that raise alarm. How did this happen? And what must be done to reverse these trends and sustain life in the world's seas?

Part 1. How technology found the bounds of the oceans' bounty

As fishing boats and gear have improved, so has a fisherman's ability to find and catch fish - sometimes nearly all of them. In areas like New England, the collapse of fish stocks has forced fishermen to reassess.

06.10.08

Nowhere to hide: The onslaught of fishing technology

In the past, sail-powered fishing boats were limited by wind and weather; today’s factory ships, with sonar and GPS, can scour the sea for months.

06.10.08

Where did all the fish go?

The sea was not so vast, once we deployed an industrial armada against it.

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06.10.08

Empty oceans, Part 1: Endless no more

Technology has bested seas’ bounty, now fishermen adjust to a sea change.

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Bright Green Blog

Part 2. A shift in the seas: How intensive fishing has changed the ocean in unpredictable - and often unpleasant - ways

Sometimes reluctantly, fishermen have been persuaded to become stewards, not just harvesters. But unregulated high-seas fishing continues to be an ecological disaster.

06.13.08

Alaska’s ‘golden goose’ is a fish

By branding its wild salmon as gourmet – and banning salmon farms – this fishery is thriving sustainably.

06.17.08

Researchers race to save Alaska’s coral gardens

Unique, vast cold-water corals contain unknown species, tropical hues – and unexploited stocks of fish.

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06.18.08

Alaska fishing: the merits and costs of a tamed frontier

The Bering Sea is no longer ‘wild and free.’ Who’s left out?

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06.19.08

How overfishing can alter an ocean’s entire ecosystem

When you tip the balance, a cascade of other changes may occur.


Part 3. Seeking solutions

They lie in emerging science, as well as in the ancient past; underwater, and far inland; in the hands of legislators - and in your hands.

06.19.08

Midocean trawlers mine world’s seamounts

Unregulated fishing fleets work fast and deep, but rising cost of fuel may rein them in before laws do.

06.24.08

Some coastal woes begin far inland

Farm runoff creates ‘dead zones’ offshore, but no national authority is tasked to address them.

06.25.08

Needed: Underwater ‘national parks’

Set-asides can restore ocean balance and diversity – but all stakeholders must buy into them.

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06.27.08

A holistic approach to saving the sea

Scientists recognize that species cannot be managed in isolation; management must be based ecosystem-wide – including earth and sky.


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