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Impact of overfishing essay
Problems of overfishing
Negative impact of overfishing
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Overfishing Throughout my research on the topic of Overfishing I have learned many new things about the environment and the ways the government deals with resource management. I believe that the choices the government is making when it comes to dealing with the topic of overfishing are realistic, but can be fine tuned so they are more effective. I also believe that if overfishing is not stopped around the world, the ocean along with other marine ecosystems will break down and become destabilized, having major negative affects on the world. Ecosystem destruction is one of the biggest problems that come from overfishing. Overfishing is one of the biggest threats to the ocean ecosystem because it not only destroys the environment that surrounds …show more content…
The concept of by-catch is that when the commercial fisheries set their equipment to trap their target species, they catch other innocent organisms while doing so. When they retrieve the equipment to gather resources, any unwanted entities they find they waste because it’s not in demand. The killing of these other organisms means that were wasting tons of potential resources while searching for a single breed. By-catch doesn’t only affect the resources of the ocean but also the economy of the world. Smaller communities that rely on fishing to provide food along with jobs are having harder times because the animals they rely on are diminishing fast. The government watches for more high profile mammals such as birds and turtles but they also focus on other varieties as well. Everything that happens due to overfishing has a ripple effect on the marine ecosystem, meaning whenever something is affected in the waters of the world something else will be affected …show more content…
It’s hard to say that overfishing is preventable due to the fact that there is millions of miles of ocean that get have fished each year. Although it may seem that these commercial fisheries follow the rules it is also good to remember that they are not always being watched. This means that poachers and illegal fishermen can patrol the waters in foreign countries and kill innocent animals. On the other hand if these poachers are caught there are severe punishments that include major fines and possible imprisonment. Ways to help prevent overfishing can vary in many different forms such as either donating to an organization or lowering the demand for fish. If people all over the world lowered their demand for fish then the fisheries wouldn’t have to meet such high request. The more fish based resources people use, the more resources the fisheries have to use. Organizations, meetings, and rallies are a good way to pressure your government to start watching fishing productivity across the world. If the government knows that people are watching them and making sure they are doing the best job they possibly can, then more progress will be
First of all, the article Too Many Fishermen enlightens the readers about the dangers and risks of overfishing. For example, on lines 12 through 15 it states, “Overfishing depletes fish stocks by taking fish at a rate faster than they can replace themselves. Many fish are harvested before they are even mature enough to reproduce. As a result, marine species are dying at an alarming rate.” The author used this evidence to better show how real and harmful the situation is. This is used by the author to help support the idea that humans have a negative impact on the ocean and helps to spread the word easier.
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
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).
I chose to discuss overfishing as my topic. The definition of overfishing is: form of overexploitation where fish stocks are reduced to below acceptable levels. Overfishing can be broken down to three main categories: overcapacity of vessels in the water, unsustainable fishing and food needs. Overfishing can occur in bodies of water of any shape and size.
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
For my research task, I’ve chosen to do overfishing. Overfishing is a form of overexploitation where fish stocks are reduced to below acceptable levels. Overfishing can occur in water bodies of any sizes. This includes ponds, rivers, lakes or oceans and can result in resource expenditure, reduced biological growth rates and low biomass levels. Australia contains one of the world’s most diverse and clean marine faunas, this means that it is able to produce a wide variety of delicious seafood products for the world but this comes at a cost for our marine life.
Ocean Pollution is a serious issue in today's global politics. The delicate balance of Earth's ecosystem is put in jeopardy when the ocean is not clean. Problem evolving from ocean pollution directly harm marine life and indirectly affect human health and the Earth's many valuable resources. Ocean Pollution is a Broad term that encpompasses any and all foregin matter that directly or indirectly makes its way into the ocean. This includes everything from the extreme: oil spills, Toxic Waste dumping and industrial dumping-- to the small scael: human activities and basic carelessness. Because the oceans and all other water bodies are invariably, somehow connected, and because they account for 3/4 of the Earth's surface, they are an ideal method of transportation for pollution, allowing the rapid spread of seemingly far away toxins into a river near you! It is increasingly important that we educate ourselves as to what, exactly, ocean pollution is, so that we can identify the causes at their source and take action in small and large ways, and hopefully, prevent this terrible form of pollution from getting any worse than it is today.
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
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
Going fishing Are we being greedy by taking more than we need,when we go fishing?Why is overfishing a problem,and how can we solve it?These days people are overfishing by taking more than they need,and they're doing it very often which are not letting the fish reproduce. The question that we are trying to solve today is what happens to commonly used resources in society?My hypothesis is that a commonly used resource in society is that they well start to disappear and become rare if we don't allow them to produce again. A solution for overfishing is for a government to enforce the amount of fish caught by persons. Most fishing areas are unprotected and are in dangerous areas.
Similarly, Worm and Costello (as cited in Zhou, Smith & Kundsen, 2015, p.717) suggest that “many commercially harvested fish stocks have been overfished, and overfishing continues for certain stocks”. The Nereus Program (2016) also mentions that some species in the marine ecosystems may play an ecological function such as being a predator. This suggests that as a result of fishing frequently, the ocean health can be affected in the long term by the depletion of these fish stocks. For example, as the predator species reduces due to excessive fishing pressure, the population of prey species increases as a result which contributes to the imbalance and loss of marine biodiversity (Nereus Program, 2016). It would appear that it is evident that the ocean health is harmed by over-exploiting fish stocks.
Did you know that more than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct? According to Pandey, the author of Humans Pushing Marine Life toward ‘Major Extinction’, nearly 10,000 species go extinct each year, and this rate is estimated to be 1,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate (1). Human beings are causing irreversible damage to the oceans and their wildlife, which is being led by two major reasons: Commercial fishing or over-fishing, which damaged the marine environment and caused a loss in the marine life diversity, and pollution, which is a primary way of the extinction causes that drastically modifies the marine life habitat. As a result of the commercial fishing and pollution, many of the marine species will start disappearing of the oceans. 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 (10).”
Protecting Your Fish Imagine going out to fish one day and all of the fish being gone. Sadly, one day this can happen and most people don't realize this. According to World Wildlife, “More than 85 percent of the world's fisheries have been pushed to or beyond their biological limits”(“World Wildlife”). This statistic reveals that their is more demand than the supply which means, people are demanding too many fish which is causing the fisheries to have to kill even more fish for food, increasing the supply but also decreasing the fish population.