Surprising as it may seem, all life in the ocean, whether it is small krill or large tuna, obeys a simple mathematical law that links an organism's abundance to its body size. For example, although small krill are individually only one billionth of the weight of a large tuna, they also tend to be a billion times more numerous throughout the oceans. The idea, known as the Sheldon size spectrum theory, was first advanced in the 1970s but has never been tested for a wide range of marine species and on a global scale until now. Not only did an international research team that includes McGill University find that the theory appears to have once held true, but their results also demonstrate that the natural balance has now been drastically altered by widespread industrial fishing.
