The report warns that nearly half of the world's marine stocks offer no reasonable expectations for further expansion. "About 47 per cent of the main stocks or species groups are fully exploited and are therefore producing catches that have reached, or are very close to, their maximum sustainable limits," the report says.

The report also warns against overfishing on the high seas. Although it is difficult to fully assess the situation because reports to FAO of marine catches make no distinction between those taken within the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and those taken on the high seas, the report reveals that catches of oceanic species - particularly the oceanic tunas - nearly tripled, from 3 million tons in 1976 to 8.5 million tons in 2000.


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