Nearly 43 percent of the globe is covered by the ‘high seas’ — the area of ocean that is outside national jurisdictions.

This vast swath of ocean has limited fisheries regulations, and fish are caught in international waters with few limits.

But today marks the conclusion on the first round of a UN treaty, which looked at “the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity” — and it could mark the beginning of the end of unregulated fishing on the high seas.

The news website Mongabay looked into the issue of regulation as well as the recent negotiations, and interviewed Daniel Pauly in the process. Click here to read that story.

 
Grade-schoolers are taught to pick up Styrofoam from beaches, to tear up plastic can-holders, and to recycle garbage rather than toss it in the ocean—all so that sea creatures do not become entangled and marine ecosystems remain free of debris.

Yet as we grow older, it seems we quickly forget these lessons. Continue reading →

Near the coast of Tanzania it’s not uncommon to hear large explosions reverberate across the water. Continue reading →

The Batsheva de Rothschild fund supports the annual Batsheva Seminars held in northern Israel, covering topics in science with leading experts from Israel and abroad.

Daniel Pauly attended the seminars between November 16-19, giving a lecture titled: “The impact of industrial fishing on the world’s marine ecosystems.”

The full video can be found here, and then under the heading “Fisheries, invasive species and marine conservation.”

Windows Media Player is required.

In 2010 the United Nations set a goal to preserve 10 percent of the ocean by 2020. Research has shown that when waters are protected, fish supply and biodiversity greatly improve. This leads to more sustainable fisheries. Continue reading →