There is mounting evidence that the increased volume of fishing activity worldwide is having a severe effect on the health of our oceans. With oceans taking up over 70% of the earth’s surface, sea creatures and the overall health of marine life is essential for sustaining all life on earth. In addition to harvesting large amounts of fish and seafood, large-scale fishing operations catch and often unintentionally kill untargeted marine life, also known as by-catch, including young fish, corals, and other bottom-feeding organisms. Killing these unintended species can have significant effects on marine ecosystems. “Fish are the last type of meat we humans still hunt. In the Mediterranean, 90% of the fish are gone.
Even in the oceans, the situation is horrific,” said Prof. Berta Levavi-Sivan, a world leader in the field of aquaculture at the Hebrew University and one of Sea2Cell’s co-founders. “We go out in these massive ships to the seas and oceans and cause absolute catastrophes. Overfishing has serious consequences, which may affect the balance of life as we know it.” 33% of wild fish are declining due to overfishing, which endangers their ability to continue to exist. At the same time, the demand for food from the sea is expected to increase by 30% by 2030, and global fisheries will not meet the increase in demand. Investment in fish substitute companies has made a significant leap in the last two years. In 2017-2019, the annual investment was only $19 million, in 2020 it reached $90 million.