But the study, published in the journal Science, found that 63 percent of assessed fish stocks worldwide require rebuilding to reverse the collapse of vulnerable species.

“Across all regions, we are still seeing a troubling trend of increasing stock collapse,” said lead author Boris Worm of Canada’s Dalhousie University.

“But this paper shows that our oceans are not a lost cause.”

Half of the 10 regions examined had managed to decrease their exploitation rate (the proportion of the total fish population that is caught) - the primary driver of depletion of collapse.

“This means that management in those areas is setting the stage for ecological and economic recovery,” Worm said.

Worm cautioned that the analysis - the most comprehensive to date - was mostly confined to managed fisheries in developed countries where longterm data on fish abundance is collected.

The threat of collapse could thus be even higher in the remaining 75 percent of the world’s fisheries.

The study found that a range of management strategies helped protect and restore fishing stocks.

It was published in a special issue dedicated to ecological restoration.

Source: AFP