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WWF report reveals the number of fish in the sea has halved since 1970

The WWF said that as fish stocks decline, 'meeting the basic needs of a growing human population will become an even greater challenge'

Doug Bolton
Monday 12 October 2015 19:48 BST
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Increased human activity in the oceans has severely impacted the global fish population
Increased human activity in the oceans has severely impacted the global fish population

There are only half as many fish living in the sea today as there were in 1970, according to a report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The worrying statistic was released in the WWF's annual Living Blue Planet Report.

It states that population numbers of the 492 species of fish utilised by humans listed in their figures have fallen by a half globally in the last five decades.

As well as being bad news for the animals themselves, these plummeting population numbers could have major effects on humanity, by destablising food chains and economies that rest on natural resources.

As it says in the report, "humanity continues to make unsustainable demands on nature, threatening our long-term well-being and prosperity."

"As ecosystems decline, meeting the basic needs of a growing human population will become an even greater challenge."

Amongst certain fish species, the decline is even more pronounced.

Fish in the Scrombidae family, which include mackerels, tunas and bonitos, have seen their numbers decline by 74 per cent between 1970 and 2010.

The report adds that while the most rapid decline took pace between 1976 and 1990, "there is currently no sign of overall recovery at a global level."

Britain's fishing fleet already has to work more than ten times as hard to catch the same amount of fish as it caught in the late 19th Century - and if stocks continue to fall at the rate the WWF reports, it could have major knock-on effects on the economy.

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