By Jaelithe J.
This is Part II of a three-part series on the global overfishing crisis and the sustainability of seafood.
Overfishing is a grave environmental concern. In a recent Care2 guest post series on overfishing in the U.S., Lee Crockett, the Director of Federal Fisheries Policy at the Pew Environment Group, explained that for decades now, humans have been catching more of certain species of fish than can be replaced by reproduction, causing populations of several popular seafood species to plummet. Crockett noted that, despite recent efforts to manage local fish populations more sustainably, nearly one fifth of fish species economically important to people in the U.S. are still being caught at unsustainable levels; some populations have dropped to less than 20% of numbers measured in the 1970s.
Fish, mollusk and crustacean species in seas around the world are suffering similarly from overfishing and habitat loss caused by unsustainable commercial fishing methods like bottom trawling, a wasteful fishing method that kills many more fish than can be sold to consumers, destroys coral reefs and drastically damages the sea floor.
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