English Channel: 90 Year Analysis Finds 'Fishing Down The Food Web'
Thursday, July 10, 2014 - 17:10
in Earth & Climate
Marine biologists at Plymouth University and the activist group WorldFish conducted analyses of catches over the past 90 years and found significant evidence of the practice of 'fishing down the food web' - removal of many top predators from the sea that has left fishermen 'scraping the barrel' for increasing amounts of shellfish. Sharks, rays, cod, haddock and many other species at the head of the food chain are at historic lows with many removed from the area completely, they say. The report used catch statistics from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas to establish a 'mean trophic level' for catches – an average for how far up the food chain the fish are located. read more
