Oceans

Humanity depends heavily on the oceans for food, particularly animal protein. From 1950 to 1997 the oceanic fish catch expanded from 19 million tonnes to more than 90 million tonnes. This fivefold growth has pushed the catch of most oceanic fisheries to their limits or beyond.

If, as most marine biologists believe, the oceans cannot sustain an annual catch of more than 95 million tonnes, the catch per person will decline steadily in the decades ahead as world population continuous to grow.