Marine Life Slashed by Half Since the 1970s, WWF Report Reveals

It turns out that global marine populations have halved since the 1970s. A new report from the WWF warns of overfishing, pollution and climate change, which have significantly shrunk the size of commercial fish stocks.

WWF's new Living Blue Planet Report tracks 5,829 populations of 1,234 mammal, bird, reptile and fish species throughout a marine living planet index. Unfortunately, the findings paint a troubling picture; it turns out that there's a plummeting number of marine vertebrate species, and populations of locally and commercially fished species have fallen by half.

Global climate, in particular, is one of the major drivers causing the ocean to change more rapidly than at any other point in millions of years. The ocean store huge quantities of energy and heat, but as the atmosphere warms, the exchange between air and ocean intensifies. This, in turn, can greatly impact marine species.

"In the space of a single generation, human activity has severely damaged the ocean by catching fish faster than they can reproduce while also destroying their nurseries," said Marco Lambertini, head of WWF International, in a statement. "Overfishing, destruction of marine habitats and climate change have dire consequences for the entire human population, with the poorest communities that rely on the sea getting the hardest. Profound changes are needed to ensure abundant ocean life for future generations."

The new report highlights the need for conservation strategies. As the climate continues to change, fisheries will have to be more strictly regulated in order to preserve fish stocks for future use. In addition, other strategies will be needed for other marine species.

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