There is a serious problem with the endangerment of our water life. Many people believe that higher regulations and standards should be set to eliminate overfishing. Other people believe that no harm is being done and will fish and fish until many species go extinct. Overfishing and dams are two major man made problems that are severely affecting our water life. Not only are humans causing damage to the water life so is the environment. Land movement and the melting of the polar ice caps are just two of the natural events causing negative effects on our water life. Water life is being negatively affected by natural and humane causes. Fishing has been a major provider of food and livelihood to many people as far as you can look back into …show more content…
Several species of fish are becoming more and more sparse. “The fishing industry has introduced other types of fish as substitutes for cod, mackerel, shark, herring, and other species that have been overfished” (Driscoll 1). The fishing industry is having to find substitutes for fish that are growing ever closer to extinction.
One argument against the regulation of fishing has to do with medicine. “The growing demand for fish has been spurred in part by nutritionists and doctors who promote the health benefits of seafood over red meat (Driscoll 1). Few people argue the fact that overfishing is to blame for decrease of population in the ecosystem. This does not stop people from arguing that fishing should not be regulated. Laws and ordinances that regulate fishing of endangered species, and overfishing in general, should be passed. Another human invention that affects our marine life are dams. “Dams affect rivers, the
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Building dams can alter and even destroy marine habitats and the daily life of many fish species. “Water flow is reduced or stopped altogether downstream of dams, altering aquatic habitats and drying wetlands. “The U.S. army corps of engineers maintains the national inventory of dams. As of december 2011, the inventory included more than 84,000 dams throughout the country. To be included in the inventory, dams have to be at least six feet tall or hold back a minimum of 15 acre-feet of water (Evans 2). Dams also cause damage to marine life environments, which means that the animals either have to move or they will die. “Riparian, or streamside, habitats suffer both above and below dams. Because reservoirs can fill hundreds of miles of river channel, habitat drowning can destroy a great deal of river biodiversity. One argument can be offered that humans need dams, and they are a great conveniences to them. “Most dams are built to control flood hazards, to store water for irrigation or other uses, or to produce electricity” (Dams 1). Dams can be a great help to the humans who built them, but at the same time they are killing the environment the are trying desperately to
The one feature common to the Hoover Dam, The Mississippi river and the three gorges dam is that they all tried to control nature’s swings, specifically in the form of flooding. Before the Hoover dam was built, the Colorado river “used to flood spectacularly…but after 1900 the Colorado provoked a vehement response” (Pg 177). The response was simple, but large. The U.S. built several large dams, including the Hoover dam, on the Colorado to decrease its flooding and increase power and irrigation. Unfortunately, just as human control of the Colorado’s flooding increased, its organisms and habitats were detrimentally influenced, and the water became more and more salinated.
The negative aspects of Glen Canyon Dam greatly exceed the positive aspects. The dam’s hydroelectric power supply is only three percent of the total power used by the six states that are served by the facility. There is a surplus of power on the Colorado Plateau and with more and more power-plants being created in the western hemisphere, Glen Canyon Dam’s power is not needed (Living Rivers: What about the hydroelectric loss). Although the ‘lake’ contains twenty seven million acre feet of water, one and a half million acre feet of water are lost yearly due to evaporation and seepage into the sandstone banks surrounding the ‘lake’ (Living Rivers: What about the water supply?). The loss of that much “water represents millions, even billions of dollars” (Farmer 183). If the government were to employ more water efficient irrigation practices, as much as five million acre feet of water per year could be saved.
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
The use of turbines from dams to provide power was a brilliant idea until water levels started running lower than normal. The water waste from humanity is directly contributing to portions of it, aside from drought conditions affected by pollution, widespread fires battled, and more adds to the depletion thereof. When humanity is relying on power provided from dams to handle the demand, they are essentially relying on the assumption that water levels will always be there to provide it. The Hoover Dam provides power to the southwestern portion of the USA that has a large number of people.
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.
The river, despite many efforts, found new channels to travel to every time the engineers thought they were getting close. Kevin Fedarko describes how difficult it was for the engineers to control the river, “After an all-out campaign that had cost in excess of $3 million, the breach was finally plugged and the Colorado was forced to resume its course through the delta to the Sea of Cortes” (p. 59). He not only mentions the work done by the men, but also the expenses that went into trying to harness the power of the river for resources. The research that goes towards building and designing dams has improved tenfold over the past 50 years. In an essay written by a student attending Harvard University, the student explained the great effect the dam has had on the surrounding communities, “It was felt that a dam that could control the river would also provide hydroelectric power, eventually rendering the dam self-financing. The growth of Las Vegas and Southern California as major metropolitan centers also depended, to a large extent, on the availability of water and power… the dam possessed an epic quality that stimulated the national imagination. It was apparent that the meaning of the dam itself was beyond even that of a structure that equaled the vast landscape it inhabited. The dam, and the people who built it began controlling nature in a new and powerful way” (par. 3). The author explains how years of advancing dam technology have given the nation a “stimulated imagination” and that has brought forth many of the world’s newest technological advancements. The dam has brought many people ideas and inventions to build and grow on. Dams are the gateway for life-changing tools for harnessing the power that we can get from renewable resources like water and wind that then eliminate harmful chemicals and debris for
A large issue we have that effects multiple different areas of our communities, are tragedy of the commons, which are actions that are rational but lead to irrational outcome. Government needs to take responsilbities to enforce rules for commons so they can diminish tragedy of the commons. Dams are a tragedy of the commons that only recently were come to the realisation of its more negatives effect they have on our world. Dams used to be seen as only positive, for their productful factors such as hydroelectricity and water supply. In this essay, I will argue that dams are an example of a tragedy of the commons proven by the documentary, Damnation, by the directors Travis Rummel and Ben Knight by describing that dams are highly subtractable
Our use of science and engineering sets us apart from all other organisms. We are constantly modifying the land, oceans and atmosphere. It is estimated that we have over 2,500 dams in Michigan. Of the 2,500 or so dams in Michigan, only about 114 are utilized for hydropower production. According to the Department of Natural Resources, “Most of the hydropower dams and related facilities are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with the exception of a few small projects that do not provide energy to the regional power grid.” In other words, although it’s a different form of energy that is beneficial to the environment of Michigan, the amount of hydropower dams is not enough to make a significant impact. The DNR go on to say the following: “Hydropower dams only provide about 1.5% of the power produced in Michigan because Michigan's rivers are relatively small and flat in comparison to the larger projects in Eastern and Western States. Altogether, the hydropower dams produce only about 400 megawatts of power. The 10 largest hydro dams in Michigan, only 10% of all hydro dams, produce about 47% of the hydropower in the State. Hydropower production is a very small component of Michigan's energy production and is unlikely to grow
Outside of China, the United States is the most-dammed country on the planet. Counting only dams taller than fifty feet high, the U.S. has some 5,000 dams that range from giant hydroelectric dams such as the Grand Coulee in Washington State to flood control dams in the southeast and dams that provide water for irrigation in California. Overall the United States has as many as 2.5 million dams of one sort or another. The design and construction of many of these dams took place between 1930 and 1975. This 45 years period is known as the golden age of dam building, starting with the construction of the Hoover Dam beginning in 1931. By the 1970s the golden age of dam construction began to come to an end with increased concerns of the impacts of dams on their surroundings. To better understand this time period I will look at the construction of Hoover Dam during the 1930’s followed by an examination many of today’s arguments for and against dams [i].
We have built dams to prevent floods, store water and create electricity. An example of a damn in Michigan is the Sturgis Dam in Sturgis City. This is an image from the Upper Peninsula Power Company’s website that shows how a dam is used to create energy. These dams are called hydroelectric dams. The dam back up the water and when it is released, its power turns the turbine which then turns a generator to create electricity (“Hydroelectric Power,” (n.d.)). However, humans have also altered the waterways in a negative way through pollution. Because we have so many different uses for water, we end up polluted the water through the toxins that are released. If we do not do something and continue to pollute our waterways, there would be a very negative effect on every life form. Many industries, companies, as well as ordinary citizens in Michigan and all around the world are doing their best to cut down their environmental
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
Water pollution has had devastating effects on the environment, which include irreversible effects to the oceans ecosystem. People often underestimate the importance of the ocean. They don’t realize how much damage pollution has caused to the ocean and the thousand of creatures that inhabit it. Earth is a huge place, but resources are actually very limited and will not last forever; unless there is a balance. We must protect the resources we have in order for them to last into the next generation. Every time we throw away a plastic bottle, drive our cars, and even burn those millions of fossil fuels to operate all those huge factories, there is a chance it will pollute the ocean and eventually effect the way we live. There should be stricter laws regulating human pollution, in order to protect our oceans ecosystem.
Dams, which change patterns of flow for rivers, alter water temperatures and may prevent fish from swimming upstream to spawn.
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
Water pollution is also a major thing in the world because almost 60% of it is fishes. It occurs due to several factors; the industrial waste dumped into the rivers and other water body’s cause am imbalance in the water leading to its severe contamination and deaths. And the infamous Global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases particularly CO2 is leading to global warming.