Twenty percent of all humans depend on fish as their primary protein source.The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that 70 percent of all marine fisheries are now either fully exploited or depleted.Since the mid-1990s, commercial populations of cod, hake, haddock, and flounder have declined by up to 95 percent.Many UN members are calling for action to solve this problem.Which action would be most likely to reverse the trend of declining fish populations?
A) Developing more effective fishing technology
B) Removing regulations on fishery catches
C) Having fisheries switch to new fish species
D) Fertilizing oceans to produce more food for fish stocks
E) Setting stricter catch limits, to allow fish stocks to recover

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Setting stricter catch limits would allow fish stocks to recover and potentially reverse the trend of declining fish populations. Allowing fish stocks to recover would also benefit the fishing industry in the long-term. Developing more effective fishing technology or removing regulations on fishery catches would only exacerbate the problem by further depleting fish populations. Switching to new fish species may not be a viable solution as there is no guarantee that these species would be any less vulnerable to overfishing. Fertilizing oceans to produce more food for fish stocks could lead to unintended ecological consequences and is not a proven solution.

Twenty Percent of All Humans Depend on Fish as Their