fishing

Big Bluefin Tuna Recovering Due to Conservation, But Species Still at Risk

Big Bluefin Tuna Recovering Due to Conservation, But Species Still at Risk

Although Pacific bluefin tuna remains a fraction of its historic population, the giant fish is making a comeback off the California coast after a eight-decade hiatus, due to global conservation efforts, Reuters reported. The world’s love of sushi and rampant overfishing has nearly decimated the species. Its population recently bumped to a meager 3.3 percent […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    California Moves to Ban Fishing Nets Blamed for Killing Numerous Species

    California Moves to Ban Fishing Nets Blamed for Killing Numerous Species

    The California State Assembly unanimously approved a bill on Thursday that phases out the use drift gillnets in the state by January 2023. The controversial fishing gear, which can stretch a mile long and suspend 100 feet underwater, is used by fishers to target sharks and swordfish, but the nets inadvertently entangle and kill scores […]

    For Thousands of Peruvian Families, the Road Out of Poverty Is Paved in Squid

    For Thousands of Peruvian Families, the Road Out of Poverty Is Paved in Squid

    By Allison Guy There are two ways to leave La Tortuga, a fishing town of 7,000 on the northern coast of Peru. One, a pitted gravel road, winds through a landscape of desert canyons and sun-scalded hills. The other way out of La Tortuga takes longer, but it’s more reliable. That’s the town’s secondary schools—the […]

    Tax Havens Shelter Illegal Fishing and Amazon Deforestation, Study Finds

    Tax Havens Shelter Illegal Fishing and Amazon Deforestation, Study Finds

    A first-of-its-kind study published Monday shows that tax havens don’t just shelter the wealth of celebrities and large corporations—they also obscure the financial transactions behind environmental destruction. The study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution by the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University and Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere (GEDB) at the Royal Swedish […]

    New Caledonia Bans All Types of Extraction Surrounding Pristine Coral Reefs

    New Caledonia Bans All Types of Extraction Surrounding Pristine Coral Reefs

    The French overseas territory of New Caledonia announced Tuesday the highest possible levels of protection for some of the world’s last unspoiled coral reefs. All types of extraction, including commercial and industrial fishing, has been banned in the Chesterfield, Bellona, Entrecasteaux, Pétrie and Astrolabe coral ecosystems, according to a Tuesday press release from the World […]

    Fish Are Losing Their Sense of Smell

    Fish Are Losing Their Sense of Smell

    By Marlene Cimons There have been numerous wake-up calls about the effects of climate change on marine life. As ocean waters heat up, they are bleaching corals. Growing levels of carbon dioxide are acidifying seawater, which is degrading the shells and skeletons of sea organisms. The rising temperatures are prompting fish to migrate to colder […]

    Shark Week 2018: Interactive Map Shows How Commercial Fishing Threatens Sharks

    Shark Week 2018: Interactive Map Shows How Commercial Fishing Threatens Sharks

    As the Discovery Channel marks its 30th anniversary of Shark Week, it’s important to remember that many populations of the iconic ocean predator are under threat from human activity, especially from commercial fishing. On Monday, a new interactive map was launched to show the movements of 45 sharks tagged between 2012 and 2018. Their tracks, […]

    Fishing Companies Halt Activities in Waters Proposed for Antarctic Sanctuary

    Fishing Companies Halt Activities in Waters Proposed for Antarctic Sanctuary

    The five companies responsible for 85 percent of krill fishing in Antarctica announced Monday that they would put a “voluntarily permanent stop” to fishing in vulnerable areas earmarked by conservationists for the world’s largest ocean sanctuary, the Guardian reported. Krill are an important food source for iconic Antarctic marine life like whales, seals and penguins. […]

    NOAA Proposes Opening Marine Monuments to Fishing Within 90 Days

    NOAA Proposes Opening Marine Monuments to Fishing Within 90 Days

    When reports surfaced in June that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) might shift the language of its mission statement away from climate and conservation and towards security and the economy, acting head Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet rushed to reassure reporters that the agency’s mission would remain unchanged. But a copy of the presentation […]