As much as one-fifth of the world’s oceans should be put off-limits to fishing to save large numbers of fish and other aquatic species from going extinct, according to a consensus statement released by 150 of the world’s leading marine scientists. Scientists have spent more than two years studying whether large marine reserves allow fish stocks to recover — and a report released this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science found that they do indeed. Jane Lubchenco of Oregon State University said, "It’s no longer a question of whether to set aside fully protected areas in the oceans, but where to establish them." Right now, fishing is banned in only 0.01 percent of the world’s seas.
