Udy Bell Overfishing

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Recommended: The problem of overfishing

Overfishing is a serious problem that often gets overlooked. In the last decade alone, overfishing has caused a decrease of the huke population by 95 percent. This is only one example of a species of fish that has suffered from overfishing. In the article by Udy Bell, called “Overfishing: A Threat to Marine Biology,” Bell talks about how only 1 percent of the world’s oceans are marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs not only help protect oceans by allowing habitats to recover from damage caused by overfishing but also allow fish to safely reproduce. Due to fishing fish faster then they can reproduce, many species of fish are going endangered or already endangered of being extinct. Species like whales, dungongs, sea cows, codfish, jewfish, sharks, …show more content…

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. In another article published by the Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science (DUJS), called “The Threats of Overfishing: Consequences at the Commercial level,” the DUJS found that overfishing has long term and devastating effects on natural habitats, food chains, and ocean communities (2). Not only is overfishing affecting the rate at which fish reproduce, but is also causing damage to their habitats and food supply. Recent studies have also found that overfishing decreases the genetic diversity of fish world wide (DUJS 2). Not only does overfishing affect oceans but also affects lakes by reducing nutrients in the water and it destabilizes the ecosystem (DUJS 14). MPAs can stop the damage and possibly even undo all the damage caused by overfishing. Overfishing can no longer be overlooked, …show more content…

Humans are the ones responsible for the damage caused to our oceans by overfishing. By establishing marine protected areas, it reduces the amount of human impact. MPAs can help re-stabilize ecosystems aswell as increasing biodiversity. The creation of MPAs, also bans commercial fishing in certain parts of the world which in turn leads to sustained levels of catching. This action can help balance the scale of reproduction/catching. This is not only beneficial to the reproduction of fish but can also help out local communities who survive on fish. According to Kechington, “MPAs can provide reservoirs of genetic material for the natural or assisted re-seeding of areas affected by overfishing (10). This means that MPAs can essentially fix or reduce the damage caused by overfishing. The facts are that MPAs are useful in that they benefit the ocean, fishes and their natural habitats. This is the best way to prevent the extinction of

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