In today’s global economy, sustainability has developed into a significant part of life because it symbolizes how a society can retain their current use of resources without having them run out. In order for us to continue to appreciate the quality of life, we must meet supply and demand without destroying the environment for future generations. “A sustainable society is one that has learned to live within the boundaries established by ecological limits” (Sustainability refers, 2007). Sustainability has also influenced the triple bottom line of fish farming by providing economic, social, and environmental benefits. For instance, economic profits allow businesses to keep up a competitive market when selling seafood. Secondly, everyone who is involved socially ends up benefiting from the resources in a positive way, which allows markets to provide quality products to be sold for distribution. Finally, the environment and oceans are protected from contamination, in order to keep such valuable resources from disappearing because without them the cycle could easily be broken. Furthermore, aquaculture in today’s global economy is affected by production, distribution, and consumption of products.
As societies craving for seafood increases, it has also lead to a decrease in the population of fish stocks in the ocean. In order to keep up with demand, fish farming has come to be a popular alternative for industries. Production, being the first part, is the creation and reproduction of goods like food, tools and other artifact together with the knowledge involved in making and using them. For example, fish are being kept in cages or nets that allow them to breed at a quicker rate versus being out in the wild. Distribution is one of the ba...
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...inues to increase each year, and we need to have a system in place in order to meet demand. If fish farming happened to end, I believe it would bring about higher prices at the market for quality food. If markets started to supply low quality food, it could lead to customers catching harmful illnesses. At least with fish farming production, buyers can easily distribute quality products to consumers.
Works Cited
Weeks, J. (2007, July 27). Fish farming. CQ Researcher, 17, 625-648. Retrieved March 30, 2011. from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher
"Sustainability." Encyclopedia of Governance. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Reference, 2007. 944-945. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Retrieved April 30, 2011.from http://go.galegroup.com.ezp1r.riosalado.edu/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE|CX3470200510&v=2.1&u=mccweb_riosalado&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&authCount=1
Generation after generation gathered food off the land, people are continuing to practice this in our modern world today. Societies expressly continue to gather their own food as it provides an inexpensive, delightful tasting meal. One of the techniques of our historical past that is still in use today, that has been used for generation after generation is “netting” fish. Netting is a classic technique that has not faced as many revisions to its practice. It persists from one generation to the next due to the fact, that many do not understand it to be harmful to the environment; others may enjoy the idea of letting commercial fisheries catch large numbers of fish as it continues to keep some of Americans favorite meals low cost. Devastating fall out from neglectful thinking about netting will occur in the future if preservative action toward this way of life is not taken. Minimizing the use of nets in waterways will ensure salmon and other fish survive for many more generations to come, allowing this plentiful food source given to us by Mother Nature to be exploited and enjoyed by our future kin. With food sources now readily available, fishing with nets should be reevaluated as follows; who is allowed to fish with nets, what are their purposes, and how will this effect tributary fishing populations.
Simply, overfishing depletes fish stocks. The consumer demand for fish has risen dramatically over the past decade or so, so much that fisheries are designing new and innovate ways to catch more fish, and at a faster rate to meet consumer demands. What fisheries do not realize, though, is that their removal of fish from the oceans is too great and far too fast for new fish stocks to be made. So, no mating is occurring, leaving the oceans emptier each day. If this rate continues, all fish in the ocean will be almost non-existent. Already, we are experiencing a major decline in fish population: "In 2003, a scientific report estimated that industrial fishing had reduced the number of large ocean fish to just 10 percent of their pre-industrial population. "(par.6).Overfishing brings the main consequence of decrease in the fish population. People rely on fish for survival (in some countries, fish is their only source of food), and they rely on marine life for products (goods like lipstick, petroleum jelly, make-up, etc.)
One of the sectors facing the largest impact is the seafood industry. Fish products are prevalent in pet food products as well as human diets. Given such a high demand on the seafood industry,
The Bluefin tuna, Thunnus Thynnus, is a top predator of the oceans, and the most valuable fish in the world. David Attenborough once called it a “superfish”. Despite its Darwinian advantages commercial fisheries have exploited Bluefin for decades, and the population has fallen to an estimated 36% of its already depleted 1970 level1. Originally, fish were caught by rod and reel, one by one. During the 1980s commercial fisheries developed techniques, such as the use of long lines, drift nets and purse seines to catch thousands of these animals at a time. These techniques have obliterated the population of Bluefin in just a few decades. They also wreak havoc on the ocean killing millions of sea turtles, sharks, whales, dolphins- pretty much every living creature they come across. In 2007 the WWF warned of the imminent collapse of the Mediterranean population, in their article “Bluefin Tuna in Crisis”. However, this has not reduced the efforts of fisheries to catch these majestic creatures; with more boats chasing fewer and fewer fish, the species is being driven towards extinction. This common is being overused and could tragically disappear in the near future unless drastic changes are made. Both fishermen and consumers, as well as everyone who is affiliated with nature to some degree will be affected. The responsibility to prevent this tragedy is everyone’s, but business should lead the way in making commercial Bluefin fishing sustainable. Otherwise our planet will begin to look similar to Old MacDonald’s farm.
There are many impacts that fishing and land animal farming have on the ocean, which are detrimental to ocean ecosystems as well as many other aspects of the environment. Overfishing, killing fish at a much quicker rate than the fish can repopulate, is one major problem. Three-fourths of the world’s fisheries are either fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted (Cowspiracy). Researchers have estimated an end of all viable fisheries by 2018 if the current trends of fishing continue (Mason). According to the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, hundreds of thousands of animals die every year as bycatch, with one of the worst offenders being shrimp fisheries, catching up to six pounds of bycatch per pound of shrimp. Endangered species are also caught, including predators which are important in keeping the balance in ocean ecosystems (Smith). While many organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch recommend consumers to eat more “sustainable” fish, this will not stop the massive environmental impacts. Sustainable fishing for one does not account for the natural flux in the population of species of fish; what is considered a sustainable amount of fish to harvest one year may deplete the fishery in another year (Smith). Sustainable fish also are becoming even less sustainable as companies that label sustainable fish must find more For example, after Wal-Mart pledged to selling Marine Stewardship
We were all taught that our Earth is covered by seventy-percent of water. But did you know that there’s only two percent of our food sources come from the ocean? Today, I am standing here to propose the importance of opening up 2 new open-net salmon farms in British Columbia. I am a managing director from an international salmon producing company Marine Harvest. I am going to present you the economic, environmental, and social benefits of new salmon farms.
The fish stock assessment is a scientific analysis that attempts to describe the past and current status of fish stock, and its purpose is to produce models of fish population that can be used to predict how that fish stock will behave under different fishing pressures. It is to ensure sustainable fisheries, healthy ecosystem and productive coastal communities. The fish stock assessment depends on three primary inputs: the catch, the biology, and cur...
To fish or not to fish is a personal choice. The fact that the oceans are being overfished is a growing concern for individuals, organizations, and governments throughout the world. In this paper I want to discuss the effects of overfishing on the restaurant industry, and possible solutions to solve the problem. Fishing is an ongoing source of food for people around the world. In many countries it is a food staple in their everyday diet. In more modern societies eating fish has become a sensual experience, and not just for the wealthy. It hasn't been until population explosions in the last century that the demand for seafood has led to more effective fishing techniques and technologies. Now the demand for popular fish like the salmon, tuna, sea bass, cod and hoki, which is the key fish in McDonalds filet o' fish, is diving wild populations to dangerously low levels. The methods used to catch the amount of fish demanded by the industry do not leave sustainable populations in the wild. In an attempt to preserve the fish population, governments have set limits on the minimum size that may be harvested and how many of each may be taken. Boundaries have been set up saying which areas can be fished and which ones should be left alone. A number of smaller fisheries have gone out of business because of the limits imposed by the government. This leads to even less fish being harvested and brought to market. Therefore the amount and varieties of fish at markets are smaller and can cause shortages for wholesalers and restaurants. Some restaurants will no longer have the variety on their menus that they used to enjoy. If a restaurant thrives on its seafood menu they may be unable to cope with the shortages and will go out of business. In the ...
The oceans are the most important food providers on Earth, with its fish being the main source of protein for nearly 1.2 billion people, but the issue of overfishing causes fishermen to return home empty-handed more often. To overfish is to “deplete the stock of fish in a body of water by excessive fishing” (Oxford Dictionaries Web). Overfishing has begun around 1950, and all fish species may collapse within the next 50 years according to some scientists (Mosbergen Web). The depletion of fish species is caused by industrial fishing boats that install on average 1.4 billion hooks annually, with a fish serving as bait at the end of each hook. Likewise, these boats may throw nets that can catch 500 tons of fish, with openings of up to 23 000 meters squared. Fishermen have tried to remedy this problem with aquaculture. However, the latter does not create more fish as it simply trades low valued fish for higher valued ones since most farmed fish are carnivorous (Mosbergen Web). The overlooked problem of overfishing causes the depletion of fish stocks, involves inhumane killings of intelligent animals, and has staggering external costs such as by-catches and the destruction of a balanced ecosystem.
The primary areas of concerns entail not only local nutrient pollution into water systems, via waste feed, but feces, as well as, chemical pollution, with chemical and antibiotic treatments, and the spread of diseases via farm escapees to wild fish populations. According to Farmed and Dangerous.org (n.d.), salmon farming remains one of the most harmful aquaculture production systems. due to open net-cages maintained directly in the ocean, hence producing farm waste, chemicals, disease and parasites , which flow directly into the neighboring waters, harming other marine life, such as industry, as sea lions and seals. Furthermore, farmed
The number of fish that have been hunted is remarkable and the effects are irredeemable. According to Dan Barber, “we’ve been fishing the seas like we clear-cut forests” (How I Fell in Love with a Fish 1:13). The comparison of the destruction of fish to the way the world has catastrophically destroyed forests is shattering. Nature’s food web is so flimsy and easily broken that “the loss of even one species can disrupt an entire ecosystem” (Karr et al., p. 181). Even the smallest species that seems insignificant can lead to the environment being affected, every species is connected and has multiple relationships and connections. There are different species that rely on fish for energy transferred through the food chain and the population is managed through what each species consumes. Yet, just like in the meat industry, the fish industry regards the sale and distribution of fish on a higher scale than the actual environment of the
Beddington, J. R., D. J. Agnew, and C. W. Clark. 2007. Current problems in the management of marine fisheries. Science 316:1713–1716.
According to FAO (2008), the world fisheries production by capture and aquaculture has reached 142 million metric tons which this number shows the increasing of about 26 million metric tons from the fish production in 2007. FAO reported that the scale of fish capturing has reached the maximum level and it was counted that about 77% of the fishing region in the world has now classified as fully exploited. As this scenario might cause the decreasing of new fish sources, the fishing industry will face some problems to fulfill the demand of this protein source around the world (Meryl 2007). As a result, the fisheries industry has now actively develop the aquaculture industry to make sure that the production of this protein source will meet the world demand. In contrast to the production rate in 1970 that recorded about 15.5% of fish production, the percentage is now increasing to 32.4% in 2004 and 36.93% in 2008. This show the encouraging of increasing through the year with average 7.1% per year thus show a good potential to be expanded around the world including Malaysia.
Sustainability is a concept with a diverse array of meanings and definitions – a widely used glamorous, ambiguous, ambivalent and vague concept that is used by different stakeholder groups in various ways. Presumably to avoid noodling over a terminology or to avoid the confrontation with a definition, most widely the concept is broken down a planning process (c.f. e.g. Döring & Muraca, 2010). That is why most common sustainability is understood as sustainable development.1
The rate of aquaculture production is increasing all around the world as a result of the growing demand for fish as an important food source and due to depleting the production from capture fisheries (Subramanian, Shariff, Omar, & Hair-Bejo, 2012). Given the richness in aquatic resources, the fisheries sector in Sri Lanka comprises of offshore, coastal and freshwater fisheries as well as coastal and freshwater aquaculture. It contributes around 1.7% of the total GDP and provides direct and indirect employment to over 500,000 people in coastal communities around the country. It is the main source of household income for an estimated 2.5 million individuals, equivalent to 8% of the population and plays