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The impact of overfishing
Negative impact of overfishing
Negative impact of overfishing
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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 dollars a year, being one of the world’s most valuable. However, the coasts have not been treated by respect; overfishing, over consumption, and wasteful practices has deteriorated, not only the industry, but the ecosystems and fish populations. This is a huge global issue; the worldwide collapse of fisheries has been project for 2048. 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 specie, the cod. In the 1950s the Newfoundland Grand Banks was home to a plentitude of cod; early European explorers
Overfishing is defined as a form of overexploitation where fish stocks are brought down to unacceptable levels. In the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2 yearly report (SOFIA), it states how over half of the fish stocks, worldwide, are fully exploited. Other research has shown it only takes 10-15 years of industrial fishing to obliterate a tenth of the intended specie. Overfishing causes a ripple effect that hurts the entire ecosystem. The balance of chain depends largely on the interaction between the predator and the prey. For example, if the larger fish are removed than its prey begins to overpopulate, due to the lack of population control. The balance in the oceans are a urgent problem, around 90% of predatory fish stocks are depleted. The ripples can extend even further to land creatures like
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
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.
Parliament of Canada. (n.d.). Northern Cod: a failure of Canadian fisheries management. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from Parliament of Canada: http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=2144982&Mode=1&Parl=38&Ses=1&Language=E&File=21
Gone Fishing. It was an exciting day for me, and I didn’t even know what was going to happen. My grandpa came to my house and then he told my brother Luke and I that he was going to take us on a fishing trip to Canada with his friend. We were so excited when he told us I told Grandpa, “This will be the best summer vacation ever!” After he told us we went and got gear like fishing poles, rain suits and food.
The Bluefin tuna, Thunnus Thynnus, is a top predator of the oceans, and the most valuable fish in the world. David Attenborough once called it a “superfish”. Despite its Darwinian advantages commercial fisheries have exploited Bluefin for decades, and the population has fallen to an estimated 36% of its already depleted 1970 level1. Originally, fish were caught by rod and reel, one by one. During the 1980s commercial fisheries developed techniques, such as the use of long lines, drift nets and purse seines to catch thousands of these animals at a time. These techniques have obliterated the population of Bluefin in just a few decades. They also wreak havoc on the ocean killing millions of sea turtles, sharks, whales, dolphins- pretty much every living creature they come across. In 2007 the WWF warned of the imminent collapse of the Mediterranean population, in their article “Bluefin Tuna in Crisis”. However, this has not reduced the efforts of fisheries to catch these majestic creatures; with more boats chasing fewer and fewer fish, the species is being driven towards extinction. This common is being overused and could tragically disappear in the near future unless drastic changes are made. Both fishermen and consumers, as well as everyone who is affiliated with nature to some degree will be affected. The responsibility to prevent this tragedy is everyone’s, but business should lead the way in making commercial Bluefin fishing sustainable. Otherwise our planet will begin to look similar to Old MacDonald’s farm.
Overfishing is a growing world problem. In 2013, 93 million tonnes of fish were caught
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 ...
According to Janna Palliser, author of “Not so Many Fish in the Sea,” each year, fishing in the ocean collects 77.9 million tons of shellfish and fish. Humans are catching fish faster then they can reproduce. This means that if current fishing trends continue, Palliser estimates that by 2048, the majority of the world’s fisheries will collapse. With a population that continues to grow world wide each year, this estimate from Palliser may become a realty if a restriction is not placed on overfishing. In other words, if we continue to overfish, there will be no fish to catch in the future.
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.
Why? Our oceans cover nearly three fourths of the surface of our earth. According to overfishing.org, eighty percent of all life on earth is in the ocean, and us humans are threatening and driving them to extinction by overfishing. What is overfishing? Overfishing is defined as “To fish (a body of water) to such a degree as to upset the ecological balance or cause depletion of living creatures.” (Merriam Webster Dictionary) Recent studies from the Environmental Defense Fund reveal a bleak truth: Overfishing is depleting our oceans of sea life around the world. 87% of the world’s assessed fish stocks are at their breaking point, classified as overexploited or fully exploited. 1 out of 2 fish stocks in the U.S. are either overfished or at risk of being overfished. Moreover, 100 million sharks are killed each year. Carl Safina, world-renowned author of books such as Song for the Blue Ocean, once said, “If you're overfishing at the top of the food chain, and acidifying the ocean at the bottom, you're creating a squeeze that could conceivably collapse the whole system.” Overfishing is classified as the most dangerous threat our oceans are facing today. Worldwide, about 90% of fish stocks are gone forever. In 1990 our oceans contained at least six times more fish than they do today. Collapsing fish stocks create large ecological dead zones in our
“Overfishing occurs when more fish are caught than the population can replace through natural reproduction”. CITATION
It is estimated that 90% of the big fish in the oceans are disappearing according to CNN. Overfishing has been a big impact on the world today and it has affected many people. Truthfully, overfishing is a big problem today and drastic measures should be taken to prevent it. Fish have been decreasing by too much each year and solutions should be made. Overfishing has become a problem each year and measures should be taken to limit the effects, such as keeping fish in captivity and controlling pollution.
By 1989, when about 90 million metric tons of catch were taken from the ocean, the fish industry had hit its high-water mark causing yields to decline or stagnate ever since then. The United Nations Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 25 percent of all fish trapped in nets are bycatch, which includes any fish or animal that is unusable or not licensed for fishing by the vessel (Moran). Modern ships today use technologically advanced, fish-finding sonar that can find a school of fish with almost military precision. Due to all this heavy fishing it can change the characteristics of a population by selecting for or against a certain trait. Overfishing is not only a crime but one of the contributing factors to the decline of animal population in the oceans and in increase in human greed.
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
The first 200 miles off a country’s coast access to resources is not regulated, meaning anyone with a boat can fish in these areas (Slow food 43). ¨The stability of ecological communities depends largely on the interactions between predators and prey¨ (DUJS 1). They have also destabilized food chains and harm the ecosystem. The FAO stated about twenty-five percent of the world's captured fish end up being discarded because they are unintentionally caught, are illegal market species, or lack size and weight (DUJS 1). ¨CFP rules force fishermen to dump billions of dead fish because they are too small or the wrong species¨ (Debating Europe 1).