The problem has a lot to do with fishing. In Fiji, the villagers of Moturiki Island are fishing for dinner. Using a traditional fishing technique known as a fish drive, they work together to scare the fish off the reef and into an ever-smaller corral. Each year, in coastal waters around the Pacific's islands, subsistence fishermen catch around 80,000 tonnes of fish. In the past, there was always plenty more fish in the sea, but recently, catches have been declining. Why should this be? It could be that more efficient fishing gear, such as modern nylon nets coupled with growing island populations, has led to overfishing. But catching too many fish may not be the main reason why there are now too few. Pacific coastal fish live and breed in the most fragile of habitats, coral reefs. But many reefs have been trampled on, smashed by boats, and even dynamited in the quest for fish. And damaged reefs support fewer fish. This could be why the fishermen are catching less.


这个问题和捕鱼有着极大关联。在裴济图里吉岛的居民正为晚餐而捕鱼。他们采用的是这里传统的捕鱼方法——赶鱼，他们齐心协力一起将鱼从礁石中吓出来把他们赶到更小的围栏中。在太平洋岛边的水域中，为了维持生计，渔民每年必须捕捉80，000吨鱼。过去，海里的鱼非常多，但是过度捕捞导致鱼的数量锐减。这种情况是怎样造成的呢？也许是现代化的高效捕鱼设备：如尼龙渔网，以及岛上成倍增长的人口，这些都导致了鱼类的过度捕捞。但是捕鱼并不是大海里鱼类稀少的罪魁祸首。在太平洋里，鱼儿在珊瑚礁中生存繁衍，珊瑚礁是它们的栖息地，但是这个栖息地却十分脆弱。许多珊瑚礁经船只撞击终至碎裂，还有些被人为地炸开以方便捕鱼。严重受损的珊瑚礁上积蓄不了多少鱼。这就是为什么渔民能捕的鱼愈发少了。