Little fish have never had it so good, according to research showing how mankind’s taste for big fish such as tuna and shark is allowing the anchovy and sardine to flourish.

Industrialised fishing practices are causing a revolution in the world’s oceans, with numbers of predator fish - which also include swordfish, grouper, North Atlantic cod and salmon - tumbling by 54 per cent in the past four decades. These fish sit at the top of the food chain and are more popular with humans than the smaller species because people find them tastier. Their volume – by weight - has fallen by 67 per cent in the past century, a University of British Columbia study has found.

But the drastic reduction in big fish in recent decades is great news for the smaller prey fish such as pilchards, herrings, sprats and caplin because it has significantly increased their chances of survival. The decline in predators has shored up supplies of once dwindling small fish - including anchovies and sardines - for decades to come.

Read more here, http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/small-ocean-fish-are-thriving-while-humans-eat-up-all-their-predators-9811794.html