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Descriptive essay of overfishing
Descriptive essay of overfishing
Overfishing environmental impacts
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Many people agree that overfishing is an important, global, environmental issue. However, when asking my roommates about the issue, I was surprised at how limited their knowledge was on the matter. Two out of the three said, “yeah, it probably is,” and the third said he didn’t have enough information. Of course, this is not an adequate sample of the human population by any means, but I think that it does reflect one of the reasons why overfishing is such a huge ecological problem today. People tend to be most concerned with issues that are closest to them. Therefore, being raised in Nova Scotia, I learned a great deal about overfishing, while it seems that children from other areas where informed more about issues such global warming, pollution …show more content…
Just like in the Tragedy of the Commons, there is a common that fishing companies can utilize to generate revenue. Fish that a corporation doesn’t catch can be viewed as unutilized capital that will just be exploited by a competing company. The problem compounds, and companies start taking more fish than what the population can naturally replenish, leading to a collapse. This is a disaster for not only the species being fished and the fishing companies themselves, but also for other species in the ocean, employed fishermen, seafood restaurants, and many …show more content…
If we can follow Ostrom’s eight principles for managing commons which include clear group boundaries, polycentrism, and rulemaking rights of communities, I think that not just overfishing, but also many other environmental social dilemmas could be resolved (“Tipping the Scale”). The presence of a system like this could help make decisions for necessary changes to our current, harmful fishing practices much more streamlined and effective. Destructive fishing techniques and vessels could be banned and safe quotas could be enforced. This system would be very effective because polycentrism would allow fishing communities to manage safe fishing policies while the larger governments could oversee and ensure that this is being carried out efficiently in collaboration with other
Larabee, John, and Richard Price. "Tide of Troubles has Fish Industry Reeling/ Crisis Caused by Pollution, Development, Over-Fishing." USA Today 10 Mar. 1994: 9A
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 species. Overfishing causes a ripple effect that hurts the entire ecosystem. The balance of the chain depends largely on the interaction between the predator and the prey.
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.
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
Rupert Murray’s The End of the Line focuses on the depletion of the oceans fisheries and the devastating effects it has already begun to have on ecosystems and less affluent populations. The film opens with a description of the tribulations of Newfoundland. Once possessing waters so populous with cod that one could “walk across their backs in the water,” improved technology and larger fishing vessels began to deplete the fish stocks. Despite placing a moratorium on fishing in 1992, the fisheries had already been depleted to the point of complete collapse. Similar processes are occurring around the world, as only .6% of the ocean is restricted to fishing vessels. According to the film, much of the ocean’s catch has declined by 90%; the continuation of current trends if continue, stocks will collapse by 2048.
Overfishing refers to an act of fishing more than what the population can replace through normal reproduction (WWF, 2016). This was led by international government efforts to increase fishing capacity in the mid-20th century, which then led to the increase in availability and affordability of protein-rich foods. With this, profitable commercial fleets became aggressive, scouring the world’s oceans and developing sophisticated technologies to find and catch their targeted species. Thus, with a wide selection of fish species available at affordable prices, customers soon became used to them (Geographic, 2016).
There are many impacts that fishing and land animal farming have on the ocean, which are detrimental to ocean ecosystems as well as many other aspects of the environment. Overfishing, killing fish at a much quicker rate than the fish can repopulate, is one major problem. Three-fourths of the world’s fisheries are either fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted (Cowspiracy). Researchers have estimated an end of all viable fisheries by 2018 if the current trends of fishing continue (Mason). According to the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, hundreds of thousands of animals die every year as bycatch, with one of the worst offenders being shrimp fisheries, catching up to six pounds of bycatch per pound of shrimp. Endangered species are also caught, including predators which are important in keeping the balance in ocean ecosystems (Smith). While many organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch recommend consumers to eat more “sustainable” fish, this will not stop the massive environmental impacts. Sustainable fishing for one does not account for the natural flux in the population of species of fish; what is considered a sustainable amount of fish to harvest one year may deplete the fishery in another year (Smith). Sustainable fish also are becoming even less sustainable as companies that label sustainable fish must find more For example, after Wal-Mart pledged to selling Marine Stewardship
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 ...
Since nearly the beginning of human history fishing has been an integral part of the culture and survival of coastal communities. These coastal communities and cities have always been some of the most prosperous and successful because of the added resource of the ocean. In the beginning many areas were so densely populated with fish and shellfish that often a day’s worth of food could be caught by simply wading into the shallows. For example, some of the first English settlers to see the Chesapeake Bay described “The abundance of oysters is incredible. There are whole banks of them so that the ships must avoid them. . . . They surpass those in England by far in size, indeed, they are four times as large. I often cut them in two, before I could put them into my mouth” (Miller). This abundance had every appearance of being as infinite as the ocean that produced it but the reality was far different. Many fish stocks, including the oyster, stayed near these high levels even into the beginning of the industrial era. However the new rapid pace of technological advancement proved too much for many stocks to handle. Close shore stocks took most damage as they were the easiest to exploit. Those same oyster colonies that were once an obstacle for boats were nearly eradicated by “the 1890s harvests began to decline. Many oyster beds were destroyed and reefs had been mined away. By the 1920s, the boom was over…” (Miller). While catastrophes like this inspired many sustainable practices there are still fisheries worldwide that are headed for a similar end. Through ignorance and misinformation from the fishing industry most of the general public does not know that this is occurring. The following will serve to inform about the t...
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
Therefore, managing human activity on the ocean is very complex because there is competing objectives within the fishing industry. The ability to make sure economic efficiency, optimizing employment, and conservation standards has fisheries management objectives operating at an unequal balance. Some laws and regulations get more enforcement based on the influence created by the political agenda. Indigenous Rights includes self-governance and this is not the case in the Prince Edward Island lobster fishing
Our world is survival of the fittest, the weak die while the strong survive. The idea of overfishing is uncanny in similarity. By overfishing the stocks, fishing breeds like chinook salmon or rainbow trout, we encourage the aquatic wildlife to become healthier, stronger, and tastier. The overfishing policy should not be changed, due to the economic, business, and other agencies working on the situation. First of all, the economic repercussion of changing the policy of commercial fishing would have damaging effects on our economy.
But since everyone is fishing where they haven't been able to catch a lot of fish because they have fished most of them up so now they are overstepping their boundaries to go and catch more fish. Which is causing other fishermen to go into someone else territory and now their just fight over all the fish they keep catching fish at an alarming rate. Fish don't have time to reproduce and that is why the decline of fish is happening so fast right now. (IN text citation look over the whole paragraph)
Overfishing is depleting the stock of fish by catching fish quicker than they can reproduce. It has a big effect on the ecosystems in the ocean. When one fish is removed from the fish population it causes a ripple effect on the food chain. Overfishing is a large problem in today’s society because when the fish are removed the ecosystem is harmed and the food supply will eventually run out. However, fish are needed.
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