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The Seaspiracy “virtually empty ocean” claim
Why it’s unlikely our oceans will be virtually empty by 2048.
Popular Netflix documentary Seaspiracy has sparked a lot of debate recently, including some controversy over some of the claims the documentary makes and the numbers behind them. One of the most striking is that: “if current fishing trends continue we will see virtually empty oceans by the year 2048.” Although overfishing is a global problem, we take a look and find that this scenario is unlikely.
(French trawler off the coast of Ouistreham, northwestern France. Photo: Charly Triballeau /Getty Images)
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Mon 31 May 202109:50GMT
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- Mon 31 May 202109:50GMTBBC World Service
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