Going, Going…Gone
Through 1989, when the annual global fish catch peaked at 86.1 million metric tons–a nearly fivefold increase over the recorded haul in 1950–the notion of unlimited bounty prevailed. Since then, we’ve witnessed a precipitous decline, especially in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean. Canada’s Grand Banks and New England’s Georges Banks–once among the most plentiful fishing grounds anywhere–have undergone complete collapse. With the virtual disappearance of haddock, cod and yellowtail flounder, an emergency federal closure of more than 6,000 square miles off the Massachusetts coast was ordered late in 1994, shutting down a $200-million-a-year industry.