So, here I am. In a flat in Santiago de Chile, hot, sweaty and wondering what it is I am supposed to be doing.
Before I start talking about the specifics of this project and what it is I AM doing here, I think a bit of background is needed for those of you who may not have thought too hard about marine fishes and marine fisheries.
So…world fisheries are in trouble and this is the basic story:
more people on the planet = more need for food
(click below and then on “show countries 1950 – 2100” to see if your country is growing)
More people need more food
more need for food = more need for protein
more need for protein = more fishing
Overall we are landing more and more fish
more fishing = less fishes in the sea
there are fewer predatory fishes in our oceans
and … before my scientific peers shoot me down for the above simplification let me add a disclaimer:
DISCLAIMER: All of the opinions expressed in these blogs are entirely my own opinion and do not in any way reflect the views or positions of any agency or organization with which I am or have been affiliated.
So…with increasing human population sizes, we are fishing a lot. In fact many say too much. The numbers of fishes in our seas are generally declining and it isn’t going to stop unless 1) a lot of us die pretty soon (and the demand for fishes decreases) or 2) we pay attention to the science that paints this grim picture and act on it sooner rather than later.
So there it is. The background to the reason I am in Chile.
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