15 September 2017
There are hardly any old fish left in the ocean – and that’s bad
By Michael Tennesen
There are not just fewer fish in the sea: there are disproportionately fewer old fish. A study of fisheries in the seas around the US and Europe has found that their populations of ageing fish have been reduced by an average of 72 per cent.
The researchers looked at 63 fisheries, which had records spanning 24-140 years. To determine the age of fish, they used several techniques including examining otoliths: “stones” in the fish’s ears that grow annual rings rather like a tree.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2147585-there-are-hardly-any-old-fish-left-in-the-ocean-and-thats-bad/
