Seafood Shortage

This passage discusses the possibility that we could run out of certain types of seafood in the future.

Lexile Level: 1110L

Categories: Animals & Nature

Many people enjoy a meal of grilled salmon or fried shrimp. Clam chowder is a popular favorite on winter nights. Oyster roasts can bring communities together for nights of celebration. However, some scientists now predict that if current trends do not change, there will be no seafood to harvest from the oceans in coming decades. Some say that the disappearance of seafood could occur as soon as 2048. The three main forces driving scientists to make this dire prediction are overfishing, pollution, and climate change. The mass harvesting of certain species of ocean life is contributing to an imbalance in aquatic ecosystems. This is causing a disruption in the food chain that some say might lead to the extinction of all but a few marine species. Pollution and climate change will only magnify this problem. So if we want to continue to enjoy our seafood platters, we need to carefully examine the way we are treating the world's oceans.