Once seemingly limitless fish populations are at the brink of extinction. The North Atlantic cod fishery has collapsed. A dozen salmon runs a year vanish from the Pacific Northwest. Even the recently pristine Galapagos islands are under assault by fishers, who kill seals, dolphins, and tortoises on the side. The reality is that our generation is presiding over a marine biological Armageddon.
Money is needed to restore and protect spawning areas.
Money is needed to lobby, legislate, and litigate against the fishing, whaling, and sealing industries. Money is needed for research, investigation, and enforcement. Money is needed at every level, from government agencies to nongovernmental organizations to individuals in the field. Yet the money is not available. The great tragedy of the commons is that there is every economic incentive to exploit the oceans and little economic incentive to protect them.