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Benefits of genetically modified food
The impact of overfishing
Benefits of genetically modified food
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Ocean overfishing is defined by taking wildlife from the sea at rates too high for fished species to replace themselves. Have you ever imagined what the ocean would be like if it was empty? You probably haven’t given it much thought, have you? While watching the documentary called, “Mission Blue” on Netflix, Carl Safina states, “The sad fact of it is that the Ocean could be empty and still look the same. It's a very hard thing to convey what's happening, how it will affect you personally. And so as the Ocean is being emptied, and as the Ocean is dying, the surface looks the same, the waves look the same.” The ocean is dying and the truth is most of don’t even realize it! Since the beginning of man oceans have been a symbol of beauty and the …show more content…
Marine life is very important and we need to work on fixing this problem and finding solutions for it. Is it possible that every time we overfish, it hurts us? From the 11th century onwards, overuse has led to the destruction of local and regional ecosystems. Evidence shows that humans have been depleting the wealth of the oceans throughout history. It has been said that Europeans started over-exploiting freshwater fish at least 1,000 years ago. One of the discoveries in the New World was when the British found cod along the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Cod, at that time were virtually non-existent along the coast of England due to over-fishing. In “A brief history of overfishing” by Greenpeace they state, “We have now reached a point in time where business cannot continue going on "as usual". With almost no technological and geographical limits left by the beginning of the 21st century, the fisheries crises has turned into a global threat to the oceans” (paragraph 3). You’d think …show more content…
It seems like such a small problem at first, but when you look closer it turns out to be a bigger problem than expected. In “Overfishing” by Pristine Seas it states, “But by 1989, when about 90 million tons (metric tons) of catch were taken from the ocean, the industry had hit its high-water mark, and yields have declined or stagnated ever since” (paragraph 6). It is now 2015 and it’ll keep declining as time moves forward. One solution to this problem is genetic modification which means any alteration of genetic material, as in agriculture, to make them capable of producing new substances or performing new functions. Now, genetic modification does have its many issues, but it can end up being a big help. Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire is working on this right now. One challenge with this is that they need to find a non-fish source of the omega-3 oil needed to sustain farmed populations. This article from the Independent titled, “GM crops could help to solve the problem of over-fishing” states, “If successful, the Rothamsted crop offers a way out of one of the tighter bottlenecks in modern food production. Nor does the potential end there. Given that fish oils are directly beneficial
Due to the demand many packaging for the fish can find its was back to sea, or when fishermen are out at sea they can leave their garbage. Many nets from the boats and gears can also be found in the water, that fish can later see as food, eat it, and die; this ties back to extinction in fish. There is much pollution and decline stocks in fish because it is very hard to regulate the seas. To fulfill the growing demand for seafood, many companies are forced to fish beyond areas that are supposed to be non-fishing zones. This is because there are hardly any laws or restrictions telling them where they can and cannot fish. Sally Driscoll and Tom Warhol report in, ‘Overfishing’, that itt wasn’t until 1956 where we saw our first regulation, the United Nations organized the first UN Convention of the Law of the Sea or the NCLOS which helped promote rights of all countries by establishing boundaries off shore. Meaning that some seafood fished in certain areas of the ocean cannot be sold in certain countries, and in some areas it is illegal to fish unless you have a permit from that country. Economy also helps make it harder to regulate the seas, in ‘Overfishing’ it is explained that Preisdent Barack Obama brought up Antiquities Act of 1906, that let fishermen expand their fishing areas. The United Nations FAO estimates that 25 percent of all fish trapped in nets are labeled unusable or not licensed for fishing by the
Jack: Yes, Overfishing is a global disaster. Over three quarters of the world is covered by oceans and are full of fish. You see, lots of people love to fish, but some people take it a bit over the top. Fishermen fish almost everyday but some of them fish for hours and hours catching a ton of fish. Millions of people rely on the ocean every day and other people in other parts of the world that need the fish in the water to eat and survive on.
Fish and other animals are being genetically modified which means that they could be unhealthy or could lead to huge toxicity cases furthermore they could start to genetically modify other animals like cows. This is an unreasonable decision because the harms are inadequate which could mean there could be much harm like toxicity and allergic reactions which means that GMO is not safe and should not be in the market till all the advantages and disadvantages are figured out.
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.)
Overfishing refers to an act of fishing more than what the population can replace through normal reproduction (WWF, 2016). This was led by international government efforts to increase fishing capacity in the mid-20th century, which then led to the increase in availability and affordability of protein-rich foods. With this, profitable commercial fleets became aggressive, scouring the world’s oceans and developing sophisticated technologies to find and catch their targeted species. Thus, with a wide selection of fish species available at affordable prices, customers soon became used to them (Geographic, 2016).
In the real world, all this comes down to two serious problems. We are losing species as well as entire ecosystems. As a result, the overall ecological unity of our oceans is under stress and at risk of collapse. The affects the fish that is at the bottom of the food chain to overpopulate. If the fish that are at the bottom of the food chain overpopulate, the food they eat will become scarce This means that the fish that is at the bottom of the food chain will become extinct or endangered because of the lack of food. Another effect of overfishing that is fishing down the food chain. That will affect the species that are at the top of the food chain because the species that are at the bottom of the food is chain are important preys to them. That’s why fishers should be aware, that if they catch too much of the fish that is at the top of the food chain it will affect the whole system of predators and preys. If the fishers catch too much of fish, that’s at the top of the food chain, it would also affect the balance of predators and
Slowly, as the trends continue, we will inevitably see many fish species start to disappear. In fact, the ill-treatment of species on the Canadian border has already devastated a large species, the cod. In the 1950s the Newfoundland Grand Banks was home to a plentitude of cod; early European explorers said,”that if you lowered a basket into the water, cod will fill it to the brim.” It supplied the locals with an item of trade and a source of food.
We are also catching to many fish and the fish are not able to sustain their population. There are plenty of fish on the endangered list due to over fishing and some of these fish are surprisingly commonly consumed across the United States. I’ll fill you in on the top ten: Alaskan Halibut, it’s a largest flat fish and it’s found in the North Atlantic. #2 is the Beluga Sturgeon, it’s usually consumed for its fillets and eggs that are known as “true caviar”. #3 is Acadian Redfish. #4 is Orange Rough, #5 is the Winter Skate (usually made into fishmeal or lobster bait). #6 the Bocaccio Rockfish, the most endangered in the West. #7 is the European Eel, when these juveniles are caught out at sea they have not yet spawned. #9 is the Goliath Grouper, their harvesting has been banned. #10 is the Maltese Ray, that is now only found in one area of the world, The Strait of Sicily. Most of these fish are being caught as bycatch, meaning they weren’t the intended target species. Our methods of fishing are a big contributor to this problem and bottom trawling, which is mainly used, is one of the most destructive ways to fish. Bottom trawling uses heavy nets that are dragged across the ocean floor catching everything, letting nothing escape. Simultaneously, this kind of trawling destroys reefs and habitats along the way and It could take decades to repair the damage done by bottom
As highlighted in both greenpeace.org and National Geographics overfishing is a direct result of industrialization and the increase of commercial fishing. What is happening is that in the commercial fishing industry they are fishing at fast pace in order to quickly make a profit at the expense of longterm sustainability of the oceans ecostistem. This will ultimatly lead to a lack of fish, destruction of many oceanic wildlife homes and the extinction of many species of desired fish if not corrected quickly.
Overfishing is a harmful practice, that will eventually lead to the collapse of aquatic ecosystems, if it’s not dealt with promptly. Overfishing emerges from the combination of our over consumptive society mixed with the great profits that come from hauling in a good catch. The consumers demand for fish in Japan seems to be at an increasingly high rate due to the enjoyment and cultural values that arise from sushi and other traditional dishes involving seafood. Approximately 23 percent of Japan’s protein intake comes from the ocean, and as a nation consumes 7.5 million tonnes of seafood annually. CITATION
Imagine a lush underwater place. Beautiful structures colorful animals and places that would never have been thought of before. In reality that's not what it really looks like, really the ocean is a desolate place that is barren like a desert. Many marine species have been lost by as much as 49%.(seeker) A big part of that reason is because of coral bleaching which causes as stated above a decline in species that depend on the coral as there home. Coral bleaching is a serious problem that could cause problems for everyone if we don’t fix it.
overfishing is a real problem and needs to be fixed. Some people may ask how
Genetically modified foods could cross-pollinate with other plants and create an entirely new species. In addition, there is the danger of biotech-resistant weeds and insects evolving. GMO’s have the potential to alter ecosystems in significant ways. Companies are currently engineering salmon, tilapia, carp, and other fish to promote faster growth or to provide resistance to certain diseases. Aquaculture farms are located in oceans and other bodies of water and the fish escape the nets regularly, ecologists worry that genetically modified fish could breed with natural fish.
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
Did you know that more than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct? According to Pandey, the author of Humans Pushing Marine Life toward ‘Major Extinction’, nearly 10,000 species go extinct each year, and this rate is estimated to be 1,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate (1). Human beings are causing irreversible damage to the oceans and their wildlife, which is being led by two major reasons: Commercial fishing or over-fishing, which damaged the marine environment and caused a loss in the marine life diversity, and pollution, which is a primary way of the extinction causes that drastically modifies the marine life habitat. As a result of the commercial fishing and pollution, many of the marine species will start disappearing of the oceans. Briggs emphasizes that over-fishing “has induced population collapses in many species. So instead of having less than a hundred species at risk, as was the case some 30-40 years ago, there are now a thousand or more (10).”