Introduction
President Roosevelt’s word ring true and sadly at a point of dire straits. The wonderment and bounty of fish as a sustainable food source is increasingly declining with every day. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports “It is estimated that between 15 and 20 percent of all animal proteins come from aquatic animals” and “of the 30 countries most dependent on fish as a protein source, all but four are in the developing world” showing fish to be a key source of protein for many people of the global community (FOA, 2014). This statistic gives weight to a detriment of society, due to the loss of sustainability of fish, if it lost as a primary source of food. Fish is high in protein, lower in most fats and cholesterols, which are important to everyday dietary needs. Fish has become a more popular choice in protein and the United States is third in the world in seafood consumption (FOA 2014). With the increasing population of the planet and development of resources, fish has become scarce as a food source, even though the Earth is mostly covered in water. Why is that? To better understand the change in the availability and potential of fish as food, this paper will hopefully give insight to how we are losing a great treasure from the oceans and other waterways.
The Causes of the Decline
The causes of the decline of fish as a sustainable food source come from multiple outlets. Humans and continued to grow and evolve. In our natural growth progression, we have continued to inhabited places outside of, previous boundaries, changing the landscape causing loss of habitats for a land and marine animals. Humans bring new species to areas that become invasive. We also have changed the dynamic of food ...
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...d when transoceanic ships drop anchor in freshwater ports. They have become an invasive species in North America, and as such they are the target of Federal policy to control them, for instance in the National Invasive Species Act (1996).
Known as Pterois Volitans in the animal kingdom, also called the red lionfish, is a sight to behold in the tropical waters as they swim like an underwater butterfly in the sea. In waters not native to their origin, as they are from the Pacific and have predators that will have them for a snack. Invasive to the Caribbean Sea they have rapidly reached the Gulf of Mexico and far south, spreading to parts of South America. The lionfish has become a persistent pest that’s more trouble than what it appears to be, attractive yet deceptive with a striking pattern of white and red stripes. In the New York Times article, A Call to Action… and Even Rodeos, scientists say that, “from 2005 onward, lionfish have become the most numerous nonnative invasive species in the world.” The average pound fish is one of nature’s clever creations, a venomous foe with spines and an infinite appetite that reproduce quickly. Invasive species are notorious because they have no or almost nonexistent natural predators and they are adapt to their new home very well. The biological adaptations of this fish has caused both ecological and economical mayhem, serious measures have been taken up to control their population as well as to protect our coral reefs.
One of the Bays biggest resources is its oysters. Oysters are filter feeders which mean they feed on agley and clean the water. The oysters feed on agley and other pollutants in the bay turning them into food, then they condense the food down to nutrients and sometimes developed pearls. Filtering the water helps the oysters to grow, and also helps clean the Chesapeake Bay. One oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day, Oysters used to be able to filter the Bay in about a week. However, these creatures are now scarce in the bay. The Chesapeake Bays Oyster (crassostrea virginica) Population has declined severely because of over harvesting, agricultural runoff, and disease. Now the Chesapeake Bay is becoming polluted without the oysters and the water is not nearly as clean as it once was. The Chesapeake Bay was the first estuary in the nation to be targeted for restoration as an integrated watershed and ecosystem. (Chesapeake Bay Program n/d). This report will show the cause and effect of the Chesapeake Bay's Oyster decline on the Bay.
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
Invasive species do not only affect other species in their ecosystem, but also cost the United States more than one hundred and twenty million dollars each year in damages (“Cost” par. 2). Invasive species come in all different forms, and all have a negative impact on the environment. These species can come into a new area without being detected at first, but as time goes on their effects can soon be seen. Efforts are being made to prevent these invasive species from destroying fish population and habitat, but in order to be successful they need to be done on a much larger scale. In order to protect Wisconsin's waters, which are already infected with many invasive species that cause great damage to our bodies of water, more actions need to be taken. It is vital to remove all invasive species from Wisconsin’s waters because it will improve fish habitat, native fish population, and water quality.
In 1831, Asian carp were brought over as a delicacy. Asian carp are originally from Asia (Barbara A. Somervill 13). They were imported by catfish farmers in 1963 for federal research on controlling aquatic vegetation. In 1966, the first Asian carp had escaped into Arkansas waters. By 1970, grass carp we're being stocked in Arkansas waters to help with over vegetation. In 1972, big head carp were brought in the United States by a fish farmer in Arkansas to improve his water quality and fish production. In 1973, silver carp were introduced for phytoplankton control (Watershed Council 1). Over time, they were brought over for different reasons and made their way into many of the United States waters. The federal government had transported the invasive species to help the waters but, they did not realize the bad effects that the fish would have on the future environment. People need to find a way to stop them before it’s too late. Their rapid breeding has had a great toll on the environment and is still affecting it today. Over population can destroy the environment
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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.
Data Trends created by California Current Ecosystem Long-Term Ecological Research Program are provided and used in the experimental process. It is known that climate change can very well affect factors such as stratification and upwelling in a marine ecosystem. However, will these changes affect prey availability to marine birds? Through the experimental process, relationships will be able to be determined relating the different marine populations being studied to one another. Trends and changes in abundance among prey, such as fish and krill, will produce trends and patterns regarding the density of sea birds. In Result, predator-prey interactions and relationships will be able to be charted in the marine ecosystem of Southern
Niskern, Diana. Invasive species. Washington, D.C. (101 Independence Ave., S.E.): Science Reference Section, Science, Technology, and Business Division, Library of Congress, 2004.
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 occurs when more fish are caught than the population can replace through natural reproduction”. CITATION
Approximately 70% of marine production is used directly for human food, and marine fisheries play an important role in food security. Part of the world fish production is reduced to fishmeal and oil used for raising cattle, poultry and pigs and is therefore used as human food indirectly. The ability to catch fish is reflected by the growth of global fish landings, which peaked in the late 1980s at around 90 million tonnes per year. Global fisheries are living on borrowed time. The generally expressed objective of fishery management: to catch the maximum yield that a population can sustain. However, most stocks are being removed faster than they can reproduce and so are actually being mined rather than harvested. Coastal ecosystems produce more than 90% of the food provided by marine ecosystems. Coral reefs alone produce 10-12% of the fish caught in tropical countries and 20-25% of the fish caught by developing nations. Making overfishing one of the main issues regarding marine protection. Giant ships are now using...
Lotze, Heike K., Marta Coll, Anna M. Magera, Christine Ward-Paige, and Laura Airoldi. "Recovery of Marine Animal Populations and Ecosystems." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26.11 (2011): 595-605. Print.