Researcher does about-face on alarmist statistic

Washington, DC – July 31, 2009 – In 2006 marine ecologist Boris Worm of Dalhousie University suggested that the oceans would be empty of fish by 2048. His prediction made for good sound bite science and the media ran with it. The problem is his prediction was wrong.

Today, with the release of a brand new study published in the journal Science, Worm says he plans to be “hosting a seafood party” in 2048 instead of mourning the loss of all marine ecosystems.

“This will go a long way in closing what has been a rhetorically sad chapter in fisheries science,” said John Connelly, President of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI.) “In this effort Worm and researchers like Ray Hilborn, from the University of Washington, shed important light on some areas where better management and conservation of stocks is needed but also acknowledge the robust sustainability efforts that are working and have proven that old 2048 statistic to be fiction.”

“This paper shows that our oceans are not a lost cause,” said Worm.

The importance of this report is two fold. It highlights broad fishery management issues and quashes a distorted statistic that did not ad to responsible discussions about sustainability but rather encouraged distortions and sensationalism amongst activist and the media.

“NFI looks forward to mainstream news outlets, like NBC Nightly News, reporting on this about-face after having perpetuated the statistic for so long, even calling it a fair and accurate representation of fisheries and fisheries science,’ despite the fact that scientists from academia, the government and even environmentalists had acknowledged the statistic was erroneous,” said Gavin Gibbons, NFI’s director of media relations.

For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.

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Contact Information

Gavin Gibbons
(703) 752-8891
ggibbons@NFI.org