September 17, 2024 | The New York Times, City News via UVic News
A recent study found that fish population estimates are about 11% too high — something that could lead to unsustainable fishing practices. “What we found is that on average, across all of these stocks[…] we’re overestimating how much fish is out there by 11 per cent,” says UVic’s Amanda Bates, a co-author of the study. While most of the 230 fish stocks studied are doing well, some species, like the blue king crab, are still struggling to recover due to overfishing. This study shows that we need precise fish population estimates to stop overfishing and protect marine life. This is especially important as climate change affects the oceans.
Bates hopes the publication of this paper will get attention from global fisheries and start a conversation regarding how fisheries and ocean conservationists can move forward from here. Dr. Amanda Bates is an ecologist and Professor of Biology at the University of Victoria. Her work at UVic focuses on understanding how marine ecosystems respond to climate change, studying how ecosystems adapt to both natural and human-made changes, and developing sustainable conservation solutions.
Dr. Bates’ research also focuses on how global events, such as the COVID-19 lockdowns, impact conservation efforts. Bates is also the Impact Chair in Ocean Ecosystem Change and Conservation at the Ocean Conservation Lab and a Pew Marine Fellow. “As we learn more about how climate-forced changes affect marine organisms and ecosystems,” says Bates, when asked to speak on her role as Impact Chair, “we need to focus on what adaptation and management approaches can best support ecosystem resilience.” Bates’ work is crucial in addressing climate change impacts on marine ecosystems, studying climate resilience, and marine protected areas and monitoring.
Earlier this year, Dr. Bates co-authored an open access publication about the risk to seabirds from fishery by-catching. If you are interested in reading this paper, you can find it and more of Dr. Bates’ publications on our institutional repository UVicSpace.
Image by Barbara Jackson
