China catches and consumes more fish than any other nation, according to findings published Wednesday in National Geographic magazine, while the United States ranks third.
The study measures what its researchers call the "SeafoodPrint" of each country, factoring in the type of fish and total haul to gauge the extent to which a nation exploits the ocean. The United States comes in as high as it does in part because Americans prefer top predators such as Atlantic salmon.
University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre professor Daniel Pauly, who conducted the study with National Geographic fellow Enric Sala, said scientists need to focus on what kind of fish are being consumed because "every fish is different."
"A pound of tuna represents roughly a hundred times the footprint of a pound of sardines," Pauly said.
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