We may have to catch fewer small oceanic “forage” fish like sardines and anchovies in some ocean areas in order to protect the larger predators that rely on these species for food.
This is a finding of the first major study of the ecosystem effects of fishing forage species: “Impacts of fishing low trophic level species on marine ecosystems”, reported today in the journal Science.
“Forage species such as anchovy, sardine, herring, mackerel and krill often are the main food source for larger predatory fish, marine mammals and seabirds,” researchers on the project said.
Read more at CSIRO