Worldwide slowdown in fishing unlikely to save rare species

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 29, 2020

Commercial fishing taking place worldwide has dipped since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but scientists and conservation experts say it’s unclear if the slowdown will help endangered species of marine life recover. Hours logged by fishermen at sea fell by nearly 10 percent around the world after the March 11 declaration of a pandemic, and in some hard-hit countries such as China, fishing completely stopped. The fishing decline has spurred questions about food security, ocean management and global trade.