[MUSIC PLAYING]
NARRATOR: The ocean's
bounty once seemed endless.
All that sea life
relentlessly reproducing,
creating beauty and amazement
and millions of tons of food.
Those in the fishing industry
often touted the idea
that what we took
out of the water
was but a drop in the ocean--
2% at most, quickly replaced.
The world's fish
catch grew until 1996,
the year of peak catch, when
numbers reached their maximum.
In the 20 years since,
fishing technology and boats
have improved.
We actually have been trying
harder to catch more fish.
Yet despite this
increased effort,
we have caught
fewer tons of fish.
DR. DANIEL PAULY: So if you have
an increasing fishing effort
and a decreasing catch,
it means that the world
fisheries resource are going
to hell in a handbasket.
NARRATOR: Between 1950 and
2010, the reported global catch
was more than 3 and 1/2
billion metric tons.
But the true catch of the
world is a staggering 5
and 1/2 billion metric tons.
That's 50% higher
than we thought.
It means almost two
billion metric tons of fish
have been removed from the
ocean without our knowing.
DR. DANIEL PAULY: 50% more and
then it declines very rapidly.
NARRATOR: The numbers
themselves are enormous.
But more importantly,
the research
reveals that our
global fish catches
are precipitously falling, three
times faster than we thought.
DR. DANIEL PAULY: Our
estimate of the decline
is about three times
what you would estimate
from the reported catch.
A catch that is declining
cannot be seen as sustainable.
Because if sustainability means
you can do that a long time,
obviously you cannot have a
long time declining catch.
NARRATOR: Daniel knows that
safeguarding this food supply
hinges on accurate data.
Getting it wrong can
lead to disaster.