Dear Sea Around Us network,
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to communicate that our number one priority is the health and safety of the Sea Around Us staff, partners and collaborators.
This post is aimed at explaining our current procedures and providing you with information on how we will ensure our work continues during these testing times.
More than eight million to 14 million tonnes of unreported fish catches are traded illicitly every year, costing the legitimate market between $9 billion and $17 billion in trade each year, according to new research.
In a paper published in Science Advances, researchers from the Fisheries Economics Research Unit and the Sea Around Us initiative, both based at UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, as well as the Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean at the University of Western Australia, looked at catch losses for 143 countries and found that significant amounts of seafood are being illicitly taken out of the food supply system of many countries, impacting the nutritional food security and livelihoods of millions.
Deng Palomares. Photo by Paul Joseph.
Dr. Maria ‘Deng’ Palomares is a senior scientist and the project manager of the Sea Around Us initiative at UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, where she started as a research associate two decades ago.
A marine biologist from the University of the Philippines with a specialization in computer science and a doctorate from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie de Toulouse, Dr. Palomares arrived at marine biology and fisheries science after switching from the ‘hard-to-stomach’ practices of medical school.
Hammerhead shark. Photo by Kris Mikael Krister, Wikimedia Commons.
Recreational fishers are increasingly targeting sharks and rays, a situation that is causing concern among researchers.
A new study by an international team of scientists reveals that recreational catches of these fishes have gradually increased over the last six decades around the world, now accounting for 5-6 per cent of the total catches taken for leisure or pleasure.