Fishing for Trouble

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Recommended: The negative effects of overfishing

In 1999 near the Galapagos Islands, Rob Stewart, 22, an underwater photographer and filmmaker, was driving when he discovered something that changed his life forever. It was a long line fishing rig hung with hundreds of dead sharks on a single fishing line that Stewart explained had the potential to reach from Earth to space. This fishing line is known by conservationists as a “curtain of death” (Kielburger). Overfishing is the fishing of a species at levels too high for the species to reproduce. This can greatly reduce fish population and drive species toward extinction. Fishing has provided the world with food and jobs that have remodeled Earth’s cultures and lifestyles. Fishing is practiced by local fishermen, commercial fishing rigs, and fishing hobbyists. However, when industrialization swept the world, fishing became an evident problem. Various nations all across the world decided to commercialize fishing altogether, which had caused a number of problems the world faces today. Fish populations plummeted and some species were even wiped off the face of the earth. Commercial fishing boats in competition devastate marine ecosystems and push species to their limit. Overfishing is a tremendous problem in the world that must be regulated because it destroys underwater ecosystems, jeopardizes future fish stocks, and places the global food economy at risk, a closely monitored fishing industry’s recovery can also help support nations across the world.
Overfishing has stressed fish populations to significantly low numbers, and the chances of recovery are slim. “According to European Union data, 80 percent of Mediterranean fish stocks and 47 percent of Atlantic stocks have been overfished” (Jolly). These percentages show how overfishi...

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...ibrary. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Crockett, Lee. “Protect Marine Ecosystems Setting the Right Course for U.S. Oceans.” Oregonian, 25 Aug. 2013. eLibrary. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
“Fisheries Reform-Time to Draw in the Net (Press Release).” AllAfrica, 15 Jul. 2013. eLibrary. Web. 30 Oct. 2013
Jolly, David. “European Officials Move To Curb Overfishing.” New York Times, 31 May. 2013: B3. eLibrary. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
Kielburger, Marc, et al. “Filmmaker Fights for the Oceans; Threat to Marine Life Puts All of Us at Risk, Crusader Says.” Edmonton Journal, 10 Jun. 2013: A13. eLibrary. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Kowalski, M, Kathiann. “Farewell, Fish?” Odyssey, 01 Apr. 2013: 32. eLibrary. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
“Overfishing.” ThinkQuest Oracle Foundation, n.d. eLibrary. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
“Overpopulation and Earth’s Diminishing Resources.” World Book Science Year, 2009. eLibrary. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.

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