"Humans Are Now 'Super Predators,' and That's a Problem, Study Says"

"Humans are throwing ecosystems out of whack by not only killing a large number of animals, but by killing adults and top carnivores in particular, a study suggests. One answer is to act more like animal predators."

"If humans hope to fish the oceans more sustainably, they are going to have to start fishing like fish, a new study suggests.

That means harvesting younger, smaller fish to leave more of their elders to continue maturing and reproducing. And it means fishing quotas that are more in line with what nonhuman predators consume.

Humans have assumed 'super predator' status, note the researchers conducting the study. Population growth increases demand and technologies have increasingly reduced the personal risk involved in hunting animals on land or in the water. As 'super predators,' humans also have a penchant for killing adult animals in higher proportions than their nonhuman prey do."

Pete Spotts reports for the Christian Science Monitor August 20, 2015.