A new study is first to show that fishing likely worsens population collapses in species of forage fish, including herring, anchovies, and sardines.
Some of the largest fisheries in the world target these species, and these “baitfish” are also a key source of food for larger marine animals, including salmon, tuna, seabirds, and whales.
Scientists have long known about wide fluctuations in the abundance of forage fish, including the occasional population collapse. But they had not figured out whether collapses were entirely natural or related to fishing.
