Pets and marinas, along with the rest of the world, are catching on to the issue of ocean fish and fish-like species, including those with “toxic or fish-shaped” fins, according to a recent report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
The group said the number of fish caught in the United States has risen in recent years, as well as in other areas of the globe, including the Pacific Ocean.
But, the group said, those caught are being caught for a variety of reasons, including for sport and entertainment, as opposed to commercial purposes.
The report is a summary of a report by IFAW on the global catch of marine life.
The IFAw’s report, which was released Monday, noted that there were more than 4.2 billion marine fish caught globally in 2016.
That’s up from just under 3 billion fish caught a year earlier.
The number of those caught has been rising, as fish species that are usually thought of as benign or edible have become more commonly encountered, including carp, catfish, swordfish, octopus and even shrimp, the report said.
The U.S. catch of fish was about 2.4 billion, up from 2.2 in 2015.
The International Trade Commission has also been working on a fish-safe fishing plan, which would prohibit fish-eating and aquaculture.
The agency has received more than 2.6 million comments, but it has not released its final version of the plan.
IFAWs senior marine scientist, Joaquin Martinez, said he was skeptical of the agency’s efforts, noting that the report included information about the impact of fishing practices on fish stocks, and not the impact on the ocean itself.
“We think we have a good case that there is some impact of the fishing practices, and some of it is good for the ocean,” Martinez said.
“But we need to get a clearer picture of what’s happening and what’s not happening.
That way, we can understand what’s driving this increase in the fish catch, and we can act to prevent it from happening.”
