The ocean is basic to our lives in many ways. It supplies food and employment to a large and growing portion of the world's population; regulates our climate; provides recreation, transportation, and important medicine; and serves as a source of wonder and inspiration. Yet a look at recent trends in world fisheries reveals how swiftly we have affected the ocean on a global scale.

Between 1950 and 1990, fish landings increased a remarkable 300 percent. Subsequently, catches leveled off, then declined. Today, only a handful of species that have not yet been tapped have the chance to produce substantial catches. Nearly 70 percent of fish stocks are considered fully exploited, overexploited, or severely destroyed. As the ocean's top predators have declined, fishing has progressed down the food chain, targeting the smaller fish that once fed the ocean giant. Unless fishing pressure is reduced on all levels of the food web, more declines are inevitable.

The ocean's ability to repair fish loss has been outstripped by the industry's ability to catch fish, yet the size of fishing fleets continues to expand. Since 1991 the world's industrial fisheries alone grew by 22 percent. The roots of this phenomenon can be traced to the romantic notion of "freedom of the seas", a result of the view of the ocean as a limitless territory open to all mankind. More troubling is the fact that in too many places fisheries development is still being encouraged.

Not only are we catching more than that can be replaced, we are wasting too much of what we catch. On average, one of every four fish caught is thrown overboard, dead. This "bycatch" is even more tragic because it is largely unnecessary. In most cases, bycatch can be reduced by changing where and when fishing occurs and the type of fishing gear used.

More people than ever before are relying on fish as their major or sole source of animal protein and the demand for fishery products is increasing. Growing demand will ask for the, pressure to overfish. We are already witnessing the insidious spread of wasteful and destructive fishing methods, including the use of dynamite and poisons. While aquaculture may satisfy some of the growing demand and alleviate pressure on wild fish populations, its ultimate potential is unclear.

The ocean, the last great frontier on this planet, is in serious trouble. Let our growing knowledge of the state of our ocean spur a commitment to action rather than be cause for despair. We have many tools for managing fisheries sustainably. We need the will to apply them and wisdom to deal responsibly with those who will unavoidably be affected during the transition. As we develop toward an era of sustainable use, we must give up our deeply held notion of a limitless ocean. Perhaps this will make our task some what easier. As we more clearly see the ocean's limits, perhaps more of us will begin to feel that we can put our arms around it, embrace it, and be inspired to care.