Snakehead Shake Up Fishermen

Scientists predict huge upheaval to marine populations

(NEWSER) - The world's supplies of fish face major upheaval, scientists warn, as climate change forces species from shrimp to herring away from warming waters toward the poles. The BBC reports that in 40 years, American fishermen may see a 50% reduction in the population of Atlantic cod. "The impact of climate change on marine biodiversity and fisheries is going to be huge," said the study's lead author. More»

(AP) - About four out of 10 freshwater fish species in North America are in peril, says a major study by US, Canadian, and Mexican scientists. And the number of subspecies of fish populations in trouble has nearly doubled since 1989, the new report says. One biologist called it "silent extinctions" because few notice the dramatic dwindling deep in lakes, rivers, and streams. And while they are unaware, people are the chief cause of the problem by polluting and damming freshwater habitats, experts said. More»

Depleted stocks throw ecosystems out of whack

(NEWSER) - Overfishing results in more than just the depletion of one species—it can mean the degradation of entire ecosystems. As the populations of large, predatory fish such as sharks and tuna decline, their prey flourishes, with sometimes-devastating results. The Christian Science Monitor looks at the problem of the world's increasingly depleted oceans. More»

Reports of overfished oceans are exaggerated: Aquatics professor

(NEWSER) - The last few years have seen lots of gloom-and-doom scenarios about how the world is running out of fish . Don't believe it, writes aquatics professor Ray Hilborn in the New York Times . Flawed studies produced those results. In reality, "fish stocks worldwide appear to be stable, and in the United States they are rebuilding, in many cases at a rapid rate." It's true that some species, such as bluefin tuna, are overfished in international waters, a problem that requires "global cooperation and American leadership." More»

The lionfish may ruin us if you don't!

(NEWSER) - How to make Uncle Sam proud: Buy American, fly a flag, eat...lionfish? That third one is, indeed, what one government agency would like you to do. The voracious, aggressively invasive lionfish is wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, off the Florida Keys, and along the Atlantic as far north as Massachusetts, eating its way through 56 species of fish and invertebrates and multiplying like mad—a female produces 2 million eggs each year. That's led a government oceanic agency to get behind an "Eat Lionfish" campaign, reports MSNBC . More»