Fish, Fuel & the Future

The skyrocketing price of oil is having unintended consequences on the high seas.

From Europe to Asia, fishing fleets are staying in port and fishermen are rising in protest at the staggering cost they have to pay to fuel up their boats if they want to go fishing.

Right now it's a short-term crisis. But if oil remains expensive, the economics of fishing could well undergo a sea change.

And the results -- which are going to be painful for fishing families and the fishing industry -- could have some benefits for ocean wildlife.

There's general agreement that there are too many fishing boats in the world, many underwritten by huge subsidies from national governments, chasing too few fish.

Will those fleets shrink in size in the face of expensive fuel? Will that mean fewer hooks and nets chasing the fish? And will that, in turn, give resilient fish populations " target="_blank">a chance to rebound from the overfishing that has led scientists to warn that global fisheries could collapse by 2048 if we don't change our ways?

Time will tell.

If nothing else, some fishermen may do what U.S. shrimpers are doing: using biodiesel fuel and going green as a way to set themselves apart in the eyes of consumers who are looking for more ocean-friendly approaches to commercial fishing.

(Wild-caught U.S. shrimp is a Good Alternative of the Seafood Watch program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Check our other recommendations for ways to select seafood and preserve healthy ocean ecosystems.)