Troubled Waters: The Future of Global Fisheries

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the vast blue expanse of ocean—the last frontier—is not as inexhaustible as it once seemed. While we have yet to fully explore the reaches of the sea, technology has granted humans the ability to harvest its wealth. We can now fi sh anywhere, at any depth, for any species. Like the American frontier range’s bison and wolf populations brought to the brink of extinction swordfi sh and sharks are the ocean’s most pursued prizes. The disadvantages associated with the depth and dimensions of this open range, however, have long obscured the real consequences of fi shing. Indeed, scientists have the formidable challenge of assessing the status of species whose home covers over 75% of the earth. Three recent highly publicized papers—a trifecta detailing troubled waters—call attention to overfi shing’s contributions to the dramatic declines in global fi sheries. Delving into the past, Jeremy Jackson and colleagues (2001) combined local historic records