In a thought-provoking paper released in Scientific Reports last week, OceanCanada Director Dr. Rashid Sumaila and his team of researchers uncovered the possible winners and losers in a world where the high seas is closed to fishing. Researchers found that closing the high seas to commercial fishing could be catch-neutral, and might even contribute to a more equitable distribution of the world’s fisheries resources. Among the “winners” in this scenario, Canada would see an increase of $125 million (USD) per year.
The paper provoked interesting spin-off discussion in the media, including in Scientific American, Canadian Geographic and Science Daily.