ABSTRACT Global overfishing is one of the biggest threats to the health of the oceans and seas, and the animals living in them. Also, overfishing directly influences humans, especially those in underdeveloped and developing countries. Tones of fish are daily pulled out of the sea, and unfortunately, that quantity of caught fish is a lot bigger than it can be naturally replaced. People started fishing a long time ago, mostly for food, but when they made fishing nets and modern hooks overfishing started. They were still fishing for food, but they wanted to catch as many fish as possible because they could sell it, or save it for later. They did not see a problem in that because there is a lot of ocean, so they thought that it was impossible …show more content…
People first started overfishing in late 15th and early 16th century. In that time Giovanni Caboto discovered Grand Banks, a shoal near Canadian coast that was very rich in fish, especially cod. Quickly after that discovery many European fishers sailed over Atlantic Ocean to fish there. Cod fish was, and still is, very appreciated because of its white and nonfat meat. Fishers soon started using trawlers and longlines with hundreds of hooks to make fishing more efficient and easier. In 19th century, when people started worrying that they might be overfishing, some prominent scientists said that there was nothing to worry about because there is so many fish in the sea. As nobody could say that scientists are wrong, they just continued fishing as much as they could. In 1950s the demand for cod fish even increased, so Great Britain invented a boat with fridges and devices for packing fish, and sent them to Grand Banks. These kinds of boats were able to catch large quantities of fish for weeks before returning home. Soon, other countries realized that they could catch as much fish as Great Britain, and make lots of money of it, so it did not take them long to send their own …show more content…
Many developed countries have drained their fishing areas so now they have to find places to fish elsewhere. Scientists have calculated that about 70% of world fishing areas have been drained by now. Nowadays, rich European countries mostly fish in the Mediterranean Sea, along African coast. African countries give them permits to fish because that is their way of earning money, so they are not doing anything to stop it. People have also made aquafarms in which they are controlling the growth and fishing of fishes. The problem with aquafarms is that most of the species that are being farmed must be fed with the fish caught in the ocean. Otherwise, farmed fish is being fed with chemicals and antibiotics which help them grow and survive diseases and contaminated waters, which makes that fish dangerous for
In this entertaining, search into global fish hatcheries, New York Times writer Paul Greenberg investigates our historical connection with the ever changing ocean and the wild fish within it. In the beginning of the book Paul is telling his childhood fishing stories to his friends, that night Paul discovers that that four fish dominate the world’s seafood markets in which are salmon, tuna, cod, and bass. He tries to figure out why this is and the only logical answer he could come up with is that four epochal shifts caused theses wild fish population to diminish. History shows that four epochal shifts happen within fifteen years causing certain fish species populations to diminish. He discovers for each of the four fish why this happened to
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
The 1800’s the George’s Banks off the coast of New England was very generous to the fisherman who fished the sea for a living. There was a balance between what the fisherman took and what the sea could provide. By the mid-1900 that balances began greatly to shift. Technology developed during the 1950s allowed fishermen to take in much more fish than previous years. Through continued over fishing and lack of controls in place at the time, the fish stock depleted to the point the George’s Banks could no longer support the fisherman.
In the early 1900s people from Italy started to arrive on ship. They first arrived in Detroit, Michigan and later immigrated to Gloucester, to fish like they did back in the old country. Children, as young as ten years old went fishing to make a living for their family. When they first came the fishing industry was booming. There was no limit to how long you could fish or how much you could catch. Many men went fishing for weeks at a time. When Italian fishermen came upon the Atlantic off what is now Cape Cod, the waters churned with schools of fish. When they came nearly 800 of them in Boston and Gloucester combined became fishermen. In New England, cod was king. Enriched by a West Indies trade of fish for molasses, boat owners were referred to as the "codfish aristocracy. Sadly in the late 1990s the fishing industry went downhill and changed for the worst. (.)
Earth's oceans make up over 75% of the Earth as a whole. With that being said, it is vital to understand the significance on the contents of the oceans. Since fish and marine products make up a large portion of our diet, fishing practices need to be properly managed. In this essay, overfishing will be defined, its consequences will be revealed, and plans for proper fish distribution will be executed.
Cod stock analysis showed that until the 60’s fish landings had never surpassed 300 tons, however by this time more and more foreign fleets had been starting to arrive in the Northwest Atlantic area to catch cod. One reason of this heavily growth in the landings, according to Higgins (2009), was the fact that fishing technology rapidly evolved. The striking growth of factory-freezers trawlers, which could stay for months on the sea storing hundreds of tons of fish on-board, is an example of this fishing evolution. In 1968, an historical catch records that 810 tons of cod was landed, more than twice times the amount of early 60’s. Atlanti...
Film Essay I came away from watching Big Fish with the impression that Will Bloom (Billy Crudup) finally understood his father (Albert Finney) after many years. Directed by Tim Burton and written by John August, the film Big Fish has a warm welcoming with several characters that impacted Edward. All the characters had their own adventures with Edward and he felt the need to share with others. It does not necessarily mean he told them exactly like they happen, and that is where Edward and his son has concerns.
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).
The history of the Newfoundland cod fishery dates back to the discovery of the North American continent at the turn of the century. Almost immediately, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese fishermen began fishing cod in Newfoundland waters every year. The Spaniards, the Portuguese, and the French concentrated on fishing on the shores of Newfoundland, where fish could always be found; The catches were salted aboard ships and brought back to Europe to be dried and sold. Even when fishing near the coast, these fishermen usually used abundant salt
It became an exceptionally profitable market because, “The West Indies presented a growing market for the [rejected fish].” (Kurlansky 79). The Caribbean had been feeding slaves salted meats from Britain, but this was an expensive shipping practice and the islands themselves didn't produce nearly enough food to support the slaves. So instead of trading with the English, the slavers and plantation owners in the West Indies began purchasing bulk quantities of salted Cod from the colonists. The colonists then sent them any poor quality or rejected fish that was not appealing enough for the typical consumer at a discount. In a way, the Cod had made slavery an even cheaper workforce than it already was. This boom in demand continued to spread until Britain began imposing legislation to inhibit cutting them out of the trade loop. The consumer demand for cheap fish had officially caught Britain's eye. The unbelievable amounts of fish in the colonies led to enormous fortunes being made by the fishermen and they, “Expressed there wealth by building mansions, [and] decorated them with codfish.” (Kurlansky 78). This “fetish” for codfish led to more men joining the fishing industry in hopes of achieving riches and joining the “codfish aristocracy.” The market was booming, but it
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
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.
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 ...
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
In Newfoundland, the fisheries have been fishing Cod for decades; collecting tonnes and tonnes of fish every year. They knew that the cod was starting to run out, but they didn’t do anything about it. Now the Cod is practically gone and probably will not recover in our lifetime. This shows the tragedy of the commons because they knew it was declining, but for their benefit, they kept overfishing the cod. This is happening with fish all over the world because no one is listening to the catch limits. For example, the recommended catch limit for the bluefish tuna is 15,000 tonnes globally, but 10,000 tonnes for it to recover. The European Union has set the limit at 29,500 tonnes and still, the actual catch is 61,000 tonnes which is ⅓ of the bluefish tuna.