Gone fishin'

According to FAO, about one billion people – largely in developing countries – rely on fish as their primary source of animal protein. And in 2010, “fish provided more than 2.9 billion people with almost 20 percent of their intake of animal protein, and 4.3 billion people with about 15 percent of such protein.” And in some countries, especially small island states, fish accounts for over 25 percent of animal protein intake, the U.N. agency reports. 12 percent of the global population – or 875,000,000 people – depend directly or indirectly on fishing and aquaculture.

Nearly one-third of the world’s fish stocks are over-fished. Around eight million tons of plastic bottles, bags, toys and other plastic waste is dumped into the oceans every year, killing innumerable marine animals and sea birds.