香港六合彩开奖结果

Fish is a major food source for billions of people, and in Florida, recreational fishing is a popular pastime and a major driver of tourism. But what if there were no more fish?

As unbelievable as this聽sounds, current trends聽indicate that this grim reality聽could come true in many areas聽if fishing isn鈥檛 sustainably聽managed.

The U.N. estimates that聽since 1974, sustainable levels聽of global fish stocks have聽decreased by 23%. And the聽situation in the U.S. and聽Florida isn鈥檛 much better.

NOAA Fisheries estimates聽that about 20% of U.S. fish聽stocks are overfished. For聽Florida, localized problems聽include the collapse of聽Apalachicola Bay鈥檚 iconic聽oyster fisheries, overfishing of聽Florida鈥檚 coral reef-associated聽fish and rebuilding red聽snapper stocks in the Gulf of聽Mexico.

鈥淪ome 3.2 billion people聽rely on fish for a fifth of聽their animal protein, which聽is often a source of vital聽micronutrients such as fatty聽acids, vitamins, zinc and聽iron,鈥� says 香港六合彩开奖结果 fisheries聽expert Kristy Lewis, an聽assistant professor in UCF鈥檚聽Department of Biology and a聽Sustainable Coastal Systems聽research cluster member.

鈥淏ut if stocks are overfished,聽that means that they鈥檙e below聽their maximum sustainable聽yield. If we continue fishing聽at this level, fisheries will聽collapse,鈥� she says.

And fish are not just an聽important food source, they聽are also part of the high-dollar聽commercial and recreational聽fishing industry. In 2016,聽these industries generated聽$212 billion in sales in the U.S.聽and $27.8 billion in sales and聽173,000 jobs in Florida.

The U.N. estimates that since 1974, sustainable聽levels of global fish stocks have decreased by 23%.

It鈥檚 for these reasons that聽researchers are developing聽innovative ways to ensure聽that fishing is sustainable.聽Lewis says that sustainable聽fishing means protecting聽and managing all aspects of a聽fishery 鈥� the fish, the people聽and the habitat.

As a food web modeler,聽she creates computer聽simulations of complex聽marine food webs that take into account different species聽in the system and the changes聽they experience, such as聽disturbances caused by habitat聽loss and oil spills.

These models allow聽fishery managers to view multiple聽鈥渨hat-if鈥� scenarios to guide聽natural resource management聽decisions. Specifically, the聽models can help prioritize聽efforts in areas that are critical聽for the sustainability of the聽system.

State and federal research聽managers in Louisiana have聽used Lewis鈥� research for聽fishery habitat restoration,聽and her team is currently聽modeling the impacts of聽seagrass loss, an essential聽fish habitat, in the Indian聽River Lagoon and oyster fisheries in Apalachicola Bay. Her聽work also examines control聽methods for red tide, an algal聽bloom that results in massive聽fish kills.

Lewis points to the example聽of the Alaska fisheries, some of聽the most sustainable fisheries聽in the world, as an example of successful management as a result of informed decision making.

NOAA Fisheries observes聽the fishery data there in real聽time and also works to educate聽their fishers and consumers,聽she says.

Lewis says consumers聽can do their part to support聽sustainable fisheries by聽choosing to purchase fish聽that have the blue, Marine聽Stewardship Council (MSC)聽label on them. This label聽indicates that the seafood聽comes from fisheries that聽are MSC-certified as fished聽sustainably.

It鈥檚 these kinds of examples聽that can inspire similar聽success stories elsewhere.

鈥淲e want a healthy marine聽system, and we also want to聽make sure that people who聽live on that system will always聽have a way to put food on their聽plate,鈥� Lewis says.