Researchers map
predator loss and
predict unstable
oceans By Janet Raloff
Sharks, billfish, cod, tuna and other fish-eating fish — the sea’s equivalents to lions on the Serengeti—dominatedthe
marine world as recently as four decades
ago. They culled sick, lame and old animals and kept populations of marine
herbivores in check, preventing marine
analogs of antelopes from overgrazing
their environment.
A net of herring are pulled from Sitka
Sound in Alaska. Researchers report
that global fishing efforts have become
more intense but yield has stagnated.
Big fishing
yields small fish
