Imagine a world without a sustainable fish population, and an overall decline of the marine inhabitants. “In 2014, twenty six fish stocks were on the overfishing list, meaning the annual rate of catch is too high, and thirty seven were on the overfished list, meaning the population size is too small” (Driscoll and Warhol 1). With an increasing demand of fish, and the over average consumption, the fish population may vanish. Without added laws or restrictions on the amount of fish captured, human dominion will reach the sea. Although overfishing can create more job opportunities, the federal government should regulate the catch loads of commercial fishing because it can cause changes the ecosystems, create a dent in marine life, and overfishing is not a sustainable practice.
While fish are becoming a more favorable
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The increasing relativity for commercial fishing is causing changes in marine and in our ecosystems. Overfishing can disrupt the food chain, causing a ripple effect to other species that rely on seafood to dwindle (List of 12 Big Pros and Cons of Overfishing 3). Without change the possibility of extinction of various species will become more prominent. This can alter our ecosystem by aiding in serious effects on the health of the oceans as a whole. Acidification is also a new and increasing problem, because acidification can create dead zones, low-oxygen areas where few species can survive. Dead zones cause additional problems to most sea life, except jellyfish; some scientist fear that large areas of the most productive seas will transform into jellyfish habitats (Roberts 3). This would create formidable predators to vital species in our oceans. If food becomes limited, jellyfish will not die, they can shrink and wait until conditions improve. This can cause further damage to our ecosystem and cause unchangeable results to earth, but overfishing can also create more job
Overfishing may have some benefits to it, but does it out way the negatives? By fulfilling our demand we can wipe out our whole oceans! Not just the fish, but water mammals too. Sure it can create jobs, but as what cost? It can help bring up our economy, but at the same time it can bring it down with many fish companies closing down due to lack of profit. Fish is a great source of nutrients, but too much can kill you! In other words, fish can be both beneficial and harmful to not only humans, but everyone and everything surrounding fish. There are three things people can do to help with overfishing, the first thing is to be aware of what you are eating. Is the fish on the fear of extinction list? Also asking yourself is the fish you’re about to eat really the fish you intend to eat? Another thing to ask is, was it shipped over seas? If it was it doesn’t benefit anyone, it won’t help the economy or you. Many fish shipped from a long ways creates pollution and may have lost its nutrients value from the long voyage. One last thing to do is if you see a sewer with a sign leading to the ocean, try not to leave trash near it, or better yet don’t litter at all! All the litter left out on streets or near sewers can cause pollution in oceans, lakes, and rivers which is very harmful for marine life. You can still enjoy fish, but not at such a high demand as
Overfishing is a major problem in economy today. The practices of fishing too much or too often result in a decrease of the fish population. Constant removal of fish from the oceans (fishing) accounts for both adult and baby fish. With the consistent decrease in adult fish, mating becomes more difficult or even impossible, resulting in an overall lack of fish in the oceans. Pepijn Koster defines overfishing as, "Overfishing can be defined in a number of ways. However, everything comes down to one simple point: Catching too much fish for the system to support leads to an overall degradation to the system. Overfishing is a non-sustainable use of the oceans." (par.1). When fish stocks cannot be replenished faster than they are being depleted, a reduction in fish population occurs, which is what is referred to as overfishing.
You're planning a vacation to Hawaii and want to do some fishing while here. If you're planning to hop on a charter sport fishing boat or some other commercial offshore excursion, you don't have anything to worry about except for showing up at the dock on time.
The United States Pacific Northwest has historically been a significant player in the global fishing industry. However, over the last half-century, the fish population in the area has been declining at an alarming rate. Popular species of fish such as cod and salmon have been particularly susceptible to these decreases. What once was a region flourishing with abundant fish populations, is now in danger of being exploited to the point of extinction of certain species. The majority of these population drops is attributed to increased industrialization and overfishing in the region. The ocean is a commons, as defined by Garrett Hardin in his “The Tragedy of the Commons”, and is being exploited as an open resource, resulting in a reduction of fish and industrial fisheries in the Pacific Northwest. Enforced government regulation is the only viable course of action to deter the declining fish populations. Fisheries have been exploiting the region, and limiting the amount of fish one can catch, particularly of specific species, may lead to more balanced levels of fish population.
A big change that has occurred in the oceans all over the world is the Coral Reefs are dying and are predicted to be dead by the end of the century due to the rising acidity of the oceans caused by many different threats to marine ecosystems. Coral reefs cover less than 0.2% of our oceans but they contain 25% of the world’s marine fish species according to Endangered: Biodiversity on the brink, 2010: pg.45). If this is the case that means by the time the end of the century comes around we will have lost close to 25% of the worlds marine ecosystems.
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
Overfishing is a growing world problem. In 2013, 93 million tonnes of fish were caught
With a coastline of over 202,000 km and over a fourth of the world’s freshwater resources, it is no wonder why Canada’s fishing industry is a huge part of its economy.1 Canada exports more than 75% of its fish to over 130 countries worldwide. Many of the 7 million people who reside on the coast depend on the ocean’s resources. In total, Canada’s entire fishing industry is worth around $5 billion a year, being one of the world’s most valuable. However, the coasts have not been treated with respect; overfishing, over consumption, and wasteful practices have deteriorated, not only the industry, but the ecosystems and fish populations. This is a huge global issue; the worldwide collapse of fisheries is projected for 2048.
Demand, revenue, cost, and profit are the driving forces behind any economy. This notion is taught to most students in grade school and will carry on through the rest of their lives helping them make the most educated decisions they can. Logically, the greater the demand for something, the greater the profit will be. Whaling used to be a sizable part of the economy, due to the innumerable uses of a whale’s by-products, and consequently, there was a substantial profit margin. Presently, the largest demand for whaling is by Japan, Norway, and Iceland all of whom partake in whaling for either commercial or “research” purposes. However, the demand and revenue from whaling do not outweigh the costs that have tolled on the species. This practice is largely scrutinized by conservationists who believe that commercial whaling is going to bring some species of whales to extinction. The current demand for whaling is incredibly low; however, it is still necessary to continue the ban on commercial whaling.
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
This loss would impact nearly every ocean creature and shore bird. Transition- Coming up, I’ll be talking about ocean acidification and its link towards global warming. Since ocean acidification is on the rise, which sands shivers down my spine, we need to know the significance of it towards global warming and our earth.
Danielle Renze Philosophy 110 March 27, 2015 Whaling and Dolphin Hunting Most people do not have knowledge of the illegal killing of dolphins and scores of whales occurring in many different countries. The killing of whales and dolphins by these fishermen is illegal and is seen as disturbing by most. The line between necessary fishing and the inhumane killing of an excessive amount of wildlife has not been clearly established. While laws introduced by the International Whaling Commission have been put into effect, many whales and dolphins have been killed since then by numerous countries using loopholes to do so.
National Geographic News writer John Roach points out, “...the loss of ocean biodiversity is accelerating, and 29 percent of the seafood species humans consume have already crashed. If the long-term trend continues, in 30 years there will be little or no seafood available for sustainable harvest” (Roach). As this article states, the oceans could potentially be fishless by 2048. This is due to overfishing, as well as the fact that many other marine animals of other species are accidentally killed in the process of fishing, known as bykill. For every pound of fish that are caught, an estimate of up to 5 pounds of unintended marine animals are trapped, killed unintentionally and discarded (according to the FAO). Comparatively, the Great Barrier Reef is dying, and animal agriculture is contributing to it. Climate change plays a significant role in the bleaching of the coral reefs, which, as previously mentioned, is strongly contributed to by animal product industries. However, there are numerous other aspects of animal agriculture that also affect the bleaching of the coral reefs. Overfishing, collection of marine animals for aquariums, agricultural runoff, and pollution from herbicides, pesticides, and extra chemicals used for growing animal feed running into the water are all aspects of animal agriculture that are harming coral
Unless the current situation improves, stocks of all organisms that are currently fished for food are predicted to collapse drastically by 2048 (WWF 2.) 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
These results agree with the hypothesis that our “untouched and super-productive world” is affecting marine life ecosystems (Vannela, 2012). All of these results combined confirm the overall hypothesis that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there