If this traditional migration is hindered it could lead to a serious decline in fish reproduction which will unbalance the delicate food chain on which this ecosystem depends.
She highlighted the 90% decline in fish populations from baseline measurements and said that scientific challenges include acquiring an integrated global view, filling knowledge gaps, and knowledge on how humans can use and protect the oceans.
"In addition to an approximately 60 percent decline in fish production, there has been degradation of pasturelands, leading to a shortage of animal feed estimated at 45 percent in certain places in 2006, reduction in livestock and biodiversity, " the agency said.
Fish consumption is associated with significantly less decline of mental function and lower risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Unless something is done to reverse the decline in Europe's fish stock, the oceans here will be as devoid of life as deserts are in just four decades from now, President Grimsson said.
Several studies that followed large groups of people as they aged have suggested that a diet rich in fish is linked to a reduced risk of dementia and mental decline, but most randomized controlled trials comparing DHA supplements with placebo have found no benefit.
Catching reef fish with a net is difficult, and increasingly so as populations decline.
As fleets decline and the EU brings in new rules about discarding unwanted fish, there are fewer easy pickings for the birds at sea.
According to experts, the reason behind the eel's decline largely remains a mystery due to the difficulty in tracking the fish during its migration.
The global decrease of coastal marine resources and decline in marine biodiversity will impact countries dependent on coastal fishing, fish-processing industries and tourism causing economic hardship as well as destabilising food security for the 1 billion people who depend on fisheries for most of their protein diet.
They fear that with vital catches of fish such as sand eels getting smaller, breeds like puffins and guillemots may also decline in the future.
The Atlantic salmon, as a species, suffered an alarming decline in the 1970s and 1980s, going from 1.8 million fish in North America to 418, 000 in the 1990s, thanks to commercial overharvest and habitat destruction (like dams).
应用推荐