Dolphins and whales starving as prey species vanish
By Alison Auld, THE CANADIAN PRESS 
HALIFAX, N.S. – Dolphins, sharks and other large marine species around the world are going hungry as they seek out dwindling supplies of the small, overlooked species they feed on, according to a new study that says overfishing is draining their food sources. In a report released Monday, scientists with the international conservation group Oceana said they found several species were emaciated, reproducing slowly and declining in numbers in part because their food sources are being fished out. "This is the first time that we’re seeing a worldwide trend that more and more large animals are going hungry," Margot Stiles, a marine biologist at Oceana and the author of the report, said from Washington, D.C. "It’s definitely starting to be a pattern." The researchers looked at the health of prey species stocks, like herring, pollock, mackerel, squid and anchoveta, to determine what effect overfishing is having on the larger predators that feed on them. Using data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, they found that the majority are over exploited by the fishery. Only 20 per cent of the prey species being fished can sustain the larger predators. … "What we’re asking for is that we fish more responsibly so you leave a few fish for the whales, the seabirds and the tuna," said Stiles. … Climate change is also taking its toll on prey fish, which are more sensitive to warming ocean temperatures than their larger predators. So, if the world’s waters continue to warm, scientists worry stocks will have even more difficulty recovering. The researchers are calling for governments to manage the prey species fisheries more carefully, add protections for breeding hotspots so they might be able spawn and refrain from starting new prey fisheries. "We can’t take prey fish for granted any more," said Stiles. "We’ve always thought they’re abundant, that they’ll bounce back, but that’s not happening. We’ve exhausted their ability to bounce back." …
