Sardines, anchovies, other fast-growing fish vulnerable to dramatic population plunges

Overfishing, climate variability appear to be culprits, says marine biologist

Date: August 4, 2015

Source: Rutgers University

Summary: A marine biologist studying the rise and fall of fish populations worldwide recently made a counterintuitive discovery: ocean species that grow quickly and reproduce frequently are more likely to experience dramatic plunges in population than larger, slower growing fish such as sharks or tuna. In nearly all of the cases, overfishing was the culprit. Combining climate variability with high levels of fishing greatly increases the risk of population collapse.

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