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A third of the world´s fisheries focus on just 10 of 1500 species consumed worldwide

Posted on 30 octubre 2018

The Peruvian sea accounts for approximately 10% of the global catch. WWF´s Living Planet Report warns about the urgent need to change our consumption habits.

The Peruvian sea accounts for approximately 10% of the global catch
WWF´s Living Planet Report warns about the urgent need to change our consumption habits

Lima, October 30th.The Peruvian sea is one of the most productive and biodiverse in the world. However, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report, in the last decades pressure on hydrobiological resources has considerablyincreased. In fact, the study found that, worldwide, one third of the total catch is concentrated on 10 of 1500 species that are globally consumed. Along these lines, specialists encourage to urgently improve fishery practices, but especially to rethink our consumption habits as they are modifying the ecosystems’ balance and causing a dramatic decline in biodiversity by affecting the populations of both, target species and others affected by bycatch.
We must protect our ocean’s productivity and biodiversity
The Peruvian sea provides 10 percent of the world's total catch and hosts the world's largest single species fishery: the anchoveta. Giant squid and mahi mahifisheries represent about half of the world’s annual catches for both species, with national landing averages of 468,363 and 49,687 tonnes per year, respectively. In 2017, national exports of mahi mahi surpassed USD 95 million, and exports of giant squid reached over USD 405 million.
WWF Peru works together with industrial and artisanal fisheries to ensure their sustainability, through the promotion of best practices to manage such resources as anchoveta, giant squid and mahi mahi, which represent three of the world’s largest fisheries. This includes WWF Peru’s work with fishermen towards ensuring the traceability of key resources and the conservation of priority species as this also helps ensure biodiverse and sustainable ecosystems. This is the case of the anchoveta, and other important species like marine turtles and dolphins threatened, mostly, by bycatch.
“We work with hundreds of fishermen in some of the most important ports of the country to reduce bycatch and promote commitments to improve fishing practices. Currently, we have been encouraging the use of LED lights on fishing nets to deter turtles and avoid their entanglement”, says Evelyn Luna Victoria, WWF Peru’s Marine Program Manager. The pingers, which are high-frequency sound emitting devices attached to nets, work similarly as a way to drive whales and dolphins away from nets.
Whether turtles, cetaceans or other species, the abovementioned WWF report states that the world’s vertebrates’ populations have decreased 60% due to our actions. Besides encouraging political commitments and the fulfillment of global sustainable goals, it is critical for everyone to commit with a sustainable way of living and change consumption habits. Only this way it is possible to help stop the loss of biodiversity on which everybody depends.

Brent Stirton / Getty Images / WWF