Humans are pushing the extinction of marine life to an "unprecedented" level by hunting or killing larger species, according to a new study published in the journal Science. Referred to as today's "sixth extinction," species such as great white sharks, blue whales, and southern bluefin tuna, are being pushed to the brink by humans' fishing habits. Humanity is driving an unprecedented extinction of sealife unlike any in the fossil record, hunting and killing larger species in a way that will disrupt ocean ecosystems for millions of years, scientists have found. The study, led by scientists from Duke University and Dalhousie University, found that between 1970 and 2010, more than half of all large fish were killed for human consumption. and so their extinctions could lead to ecological cascades that would influence the structure and function of future ecosystems beyond the simple fact of losing those species," warns Stanford University's Prof. Jonathan Payne.
Humans are pushing the extinction of marine life to an "unprecedented" level by hunting or killing larger species, according to a new study published in the journal Science. Referred to as today's "sixth extinction," species such as great white sharks, blue whales, and southern bluefin tuna, are being pushed to the brink by humans' fishing habits. The study, led by scientists from Duke University and Dalhousie University, found that between 1970 and 2010, more than half of all large fish were killed for human consumption. and so their extinctions could lead to ecological cascades that would influence the structure and function of future ecosystems beyond the simple fact of losing those species," warns Stanford University's Prof. Jonathan Payne.