date:Jan 20, 2014
An early warning system to predict the overfishing of individual species, far in advance of severe population decline, has been developed by researchers. The 'eventual threat index' was applied by the researchers to historical data on tuna and billfish populations, and accurately predicted their current declines as early as the 1950s.
If fish species are exploited to the point where they are threatened with extinction, conservation measures such as closure of the fishery can have severe economi