"STANFORD, California -- Half of all the fish eaten in the world now is raised on fish farms rather than caught in the wild, according to new research by an international team of scientists.

But while the aquaculture industry is more efficient than ever, it is putting a strain on marine resources by consuming large amounts of feed made from wild fish harvested from the sea, the study shows.

'Aquaculture is set to reach a landmark in 2009, supplying half of the total fish and shellfish for human consumption,' the authors write in their paper, published in Monday's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Environment News Service had the story September 8, 2009. [2]