The Pros And Cons Of Overfishing

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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. Overfishing occurs when more fish are caught than the population can replace through natural reproduction. Fish is a commonly eaten food in the United States, and commercial fisheries …show more content…

Sonar commercial fishing is just one of the many fishing technologies available to fishermen. But no matter what technology a fisherman has, if they continue to fish with the same harmful nets, then they will still have bycatch. Another technology that fishermen have access too is radar imaging which produces somewhat of a 3D image for the fisherman. This technology though somewhat useful, provides opportunity for overfishing by locating large schools of fish. The last commonly used method of finding fish is tagging and tracking fish. This method is probably the most unethical of all new technologies because it not only taggs the fish but helps lead you to their school. Though there are many different technologies for fisherman to use, many times, these nets and traps get left in the ocean and catch unsuspecting animals which is also known as ghost

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