Our study looked at 95 global fish stocks, of which 53 were classified as overfished and 24 as severely overfished. By analyzing data on land species such as deer and goats, our study found that mitochondrial DNA depletion rates are a better predictor than stock status of environmental tolls such as extinctions and habitat loss.
What this tells us is that fish stocks (as well as other land species) may be more sensitive to environmental impacts than previously thought. If we want to avoid hitting ‘fish left’ by 2050, we need to start taking measures to protect our environment now.