Regional disparities remain stark. In the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada, over 90% of stocks are sustainably fished. In Australia and New Zealand , the figure exceeds 85%. The Antarctic – governed by strict international regulations – reports 100% sustainability. But along northwest Africa’s coast, from Morocco to the Gulf of Guinea , over half of all stocks are overfished, with little sign of recovery. The Mediterranean and Black Sea fare even worse: 65% of stocks there are unsustainable. Yet there is a positive sign – the number of boats going out to fish in that region has declined by nearly a third over the past decade, offering hope that policy shifts are beginning to take effect. Assistant Director-General Manuel Barange, of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), unveiled the agency’s report on the world’s fish stocks. For Mr. Barange, the lesson is clear: where management systems exist – and are backed by resources – stocks recover. But science-...
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