Key fishmeal ecosystems in the East and South China Seas could collapse by 2100

Climate change, overfishing for fishmeal have East and South China Seas on track for collapse Climate change, coupled with overfishing driven by growing demand for fishmeal, could collapse fish populations in the East and South China Seas — potentially putting increased pressure on already-tight fishmeal markets. Together, catches from both of these fisheries generated US$22.8 billion in value in 2018, with a growing proportion of the regions’ earnings tied to the production of fishmeal, according to a report by the ADM Capital Foundation in Hong Kong. But if current trends continue, the amount of fish available for the production of fishmeal in Southeast Asia could decrease dramatically. The South China Sea could lose up to 6.4 million metric tons of fish biomass, worth US$11.4 billion in revenues to fishers, by 2100 if climate change is unabated and overfishing continues to increase, according to the report. The East China Sea, in better condition than the South, could see an ...