Billions of people rely on fish for protein, and fishing is the principal livelihood for millions of people around the world. For centuries, our seas and oceans have been considered a limitless bounty of food. However, increasing fishing efforts over the last 50 years as well as unsustainable fishing practices are pushing many fish stocks to the point of collapse. More than 85 percent of the world’s fisheries have been pushed to or beyond their biological limits and are in need of strict management plans to restore them.
As fisheries have returned lower and lower yields, humans have begun to understand that the oceans we’d assumed were unendingly vast and rich are in fact highly vulnerable and sensitive. Add overfishing to pollution, climate change, habitat destruction, and acidification, and a picture of a system in crisis emerges.
Reef Conservation International currently partners with the Belize Department of Fisheries to set commercial fishing limits on local species. Thanks to our fish surveys of conch, lobster, and snapper conducted by our volunteer divers, we are doing our part to fight the devastating affects of overfishing. Join us in our efforts for a healthier ocean!