Commercial fisheries for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) experienced a complete crash in the early 1990s. The collapse extended from southern Labrador to the continental shelf off eastern Nova Scotia (Fig. 1). Abundance of the cod stocks were so low that a moratorium was set on commercial fisheries for cod stocks in 1992. Additionally, the cod fishery was an inherent part of Newfoundlanders social and cultural identity (Higgins, 2009). The fishery represented many individuals livelihood. Thus, with the collapse of the cod fishery was not only economically crippling but also detrimental culturally. The ecological and socioeconomical impacts of the collapse prompted people and the Canadian government to critically evaluate the way in which commercial fisheries were managed in order to recover the cod population and prevent such dramatic declines in abundances happening in other fish species in the future. Moreover, there are numerous explanations for the commercial collapse of the cod population. These reasons range from the of climate change to the advancements in fishing technology. It is hypothesized that poor recruitment, reduced juveniles surviving to be recruited into the population, increased seal predation, along with domestic …show more content…
Harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) were very abundant in the region at the time and there exists evidence suggesting their numbers increased (Sten- son et al. 1993). Additionally, studies have shown that the contribution of cod to the seal diet overwinter area was greater than reported (Hammill et al. 2014). To measure the degree to which seal predation contributed to the fishery cod collapse the results of the study conducted by Savenkoffa and colleagues (2007) will be analyzed and compared to other papers on seal predation pressure on cods near the time the collapse
A Review of “The Devil and Deep Blue Sea” by Linda Pannozzo Introduction In her book The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: An Investigation into the Scapegoating of Canada’s Grey Seal, Linda Pannozzo accomplishes few important things: she makes a compelling argument for the senseless killing of grey seal; she provides an analytic framework for the reasons of the decline of cod fish; and she provides a wealth of information on the politic behind scapegoating of Canada’s grey seal. Pannozzo presents The Devil and Deep Blue Sea in a clear and unbiased matter, but its presentation is by no mean elementary. Pannozzo’s book is meticulously researched, thus providing us with both quantitative and statistical account surrounding seal ways of life, their diet, history and other necessary aspects of marine life ecosystem. Book Summary
The population decline in monk seals is due to several different factors with the biggest reason due to the low pup and juvenile survival rates (Curtice et al, 2011). At the Kure Atoll on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, 32 pups were observed in 1964 and 30 pups were observed in 1965. Of these pups born, all but one died or disappeared within 60 days after birth. This was also seen in the 1970’s at Green Island and Kure Atoll, where a mean population of 17 and 14 seals, respectively, was counted on these beaches, with a birth total of 10 showing a population decline of 70% (Gilmartin et al, 2011). The juvenile survival rate is still seen today with one in five monk seals surviving to the reproductive age, with one year old seals having the highest mortality rates (Norris et al, 2011).
The negative human impacts on harbor seals are devastating, and there are yet to be any major positive impacts. In the 1900s, fur traders would hunt harbor seal pups that were less than four weeks old for their fine coats, which were highly valued. This led to a decrease in the harbor seal population. Harbor seals were also hunted by salmon fishermen who saw the seals as competitors for the fish. After a while many harbor seal populations had to abandon traditional haul-out areas. This was sad for the seals, because the main diet of a harbor seal is fish.
The seal lion population has decreased by eighty-percent. The weird thing is that there is no bodies to prove that the seal lions are gone. Some of the causes of the decrease could be fisherman, pollution, and killer whales. The sea lions could also be starving to death. The fisherman are taking all of their sources of food. But, in Alaska the sea lions are thriving and the whales are not. Thirty years ago ninety percent of the whale population was gone in Alaska. This resulted in an abundance of more krill and plankton, which lead to more pollock and herring. The sea lions ate the herring the most as it was healthier and kept them full. But, when the herring population decreased the sea lions had to eat pollock. Pollock is the “junk food
What exactly happened in the whaling industry that had such a detrimental effect on the whale populations?
In 1497, John Cabot reported schools of cod so thick that they slowed down the ship off the coast of Newfoundland.[] This would set the way of life and be the income of at least 30,000 people in Newfoundland until 1992.[][] The moratorium was right to be put in place on the cod fishery. The loss of cod as a species will lead to more than just cultural and economic losses. The culture and lost of jobs was inevitable, so, the life of the species should have been saved for the better outcome.
This article explores the possibility of threat to the ecosystem and the food chain of the Ross Sea. The famous Antarctic toothfish plays a vital role in the food chain of the Ross Sea because it serves as a main meal for higher order organisms. Researchers as well as locals have noticed the decrease in the Antarctic toothfish because fishermen were not catching nearly as many toothfish as they were before 2002. This observation was puzzling because the use of a new tool for monitoring the amount of Antarctic toothfish in 2014 showed that the prevalence of the Antarctic toothfish was similar to that before 2002. These findings pushed researchers to hypothesize that either the Antarctic toothfish had recently returned to the McMurdo Sound or
It is evident that whaling practices can lead to a reduction in the population of whales, ecosystem degradation, and even cause the species to the brink of extinction (International Whaling Commission, n.d.). The main factors causing the problem are over-exploitation, disturbance from whaling vessels, entanglement in fishing gears, and environmental factors (International Whaling Commission, n.d.). According to the WDC (n.d.), more than 36,700 whales were killed after the 1986 moratorium in which Japan accounted for nearly 20,000 whales. The International Whaling Commission (n.d.) reported that the common whales hunted by Japanese, which are Minke, Fin, Sei, Sperm, Bryde’s and Humpback whales, were severely exploited and depleting in terms of population in the Japanese whaling grounds before the 1986 moratorium. In addition, the operation of whaling fleets apparently causing noise pollution affecting the communication process of whales and other marine species as well (Lian & Lu, n.d.). Whales are one of the top-level animals in the marine food chain, therefore, a decline in whale population definitely have an impact on the marine ecosystem. Lian and Lu (n.d.), have said that whale’s dead body is a great source of food for the marine animals in a lower depth of the ocean. Thus, the more whales killed by whaling practices, the less food for others sea creatures and organisms (Lian & Lu, n.d.). Also, nutrients in
In so doing, this chapter is organised as follows. Section 8.1 discusses the changes from whaling to the whale watching protection in Taiwan by using the punctuated equilibrium framework. This section is subdivided into the whaling history, which base on the political system I explored in Chapter 5 and the whaling history in Chapter 6 (section 6.1). Through Section 8.1.1 to 8.1.4 I divide the whaling history base on a timeline, identifying the periods of equilibrium and the reasons that led to such periods, as well as the events that cause punctuation. Section 8.1.5 explores the turning point that made Taiwan move from whaling to whale watching protection. In addition, I point out that political learning has a significant effect on the decision
The appearance of herring in Bohuslen in the latter half of the eighteenth century had a major impact on the economics of fisheries in Sweden and Northern Europe. Meanwhile, the promotion of whale fisheries is as important as that of herring fisheries because of the whale oil which is valuable product. According to the previous research on Swedish fisheries policy, it is clear that the major changes in measures and policies relation to herring fisheries have had a significant impact. However, research has yet to elucidate fully the development and transformation that has changed the face of whale
Every year during March to April, is the months that the seal fisheries are active. This is known as the seal-hunting season, great amount of seals were killed for commercial purposes (Liberation BC, para 1). The hunting activities took place on the Newfoundland coast, the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence and Inuit regions (Government of Canada, 2013, para 2). The seal hunt has been a dispute for years between the support side and the oppose side. The argument is still being continued Seals are killed in a cruel ways. Hakapik is a tool used by the fishers to hit the heads of the seals causing the seals to die. Forty-two percent of the seals are skinned alive (Liberation BC, para 9). The seal skins are warm and waterproof; it is an excellent source to use to make coats, hats or scarfs for winter (Government of Canada, 2012, para 3). It is illegal to kill seals that are under 11 days old because they haven’t lost their fur yet. Baby seals lose their white furs when they are 11 days old, and it is then legal to kill them. Even though they are only babies (Liberation BC, para 2). The quota of the seal hunt was 400,000 in 2012. However, the quota suggested by the scientists was smaller (Liberation BC, para 1). Fortunately, the numbers of seal hunters are starting to decrease. The reason is, that they do not make much money out of it (Liberation BC, para 24). The action of hunting seals is not ecological because the meat of the seals is
The first ecological role played by sea mammals is stabilizing the marine ecosystem. For instance, whales assist in regulating the movement of food by supporting a stable food chain and making it certain that some various species do not overpopulate the aquatic ecosystem. Estes, Doak, Springer, and Williams (2009) state that the blue whale can eat approximately 40 million krill per day and it has a big impact on the stabilization of the aquatic ecosystem. If the marine mammals become extinct, the food chain would be destabilized, and some animals would overpopulate the ecosystem. Overpopulation has a detrimental effect on both the aquatic and terrestrial animals (Young & Reales, 2016). This is based on the fact that overpopulation leads to quick depletion of resources in the aquatic environment. According to Parsons and Bauer (2013), the ecological exchanges that involve the sea animals and their target kill can be intricate.
To form an opinion on whether we should permit hunting of non-endangered species of whales, we need substantial background information on the pros and cons of whaling and the impacts of it on the effected society or societies. We need to do extensive research on the positions of both sides and weigh their arguments against our own judgements. Therefore, I will leave the first question for now and I will give an answer to it at the end of this essay after I have put forward my arguments.
The supply of fish is barely meeting standards due to such a high demand. As the years go by, fish continue to become a much needed resource for food, but will not be able to meet that demand. The fish are constantly being killed at such a high rate that is dangerous for marine life, This in turn brings a lot of destruction and terrible effects upon the ocean’s ecosystems. Overfishing upsets the food supply even more (Kowalski). There is not much time left before people start to realize how dire the situation has become. Overfishing is not laughing matter; in fact, it’s something that needs to be stopped.With not much time left before people all over start to realize that the situation involving overfishing is no laughing matter and in fact something that needs to be stopped. Fish are constantly being taken out of the water and eaten faster than they are able to reproduce. those fish being capable of having enough babies to replace themselves (Kowalski). With no babies able to replace the fish that are being killed, the fish species could go endangered or extinct. This in turn will make people realize that what they have done is wrong.
With the knowledge that high demand over seafood are being abused worldwide, what can we do to restore the current damage of our marine ecosystem. As we face the consequences of overfishing, many people are unaware that our aquatic food chain are currently collapsing up to ninety percent; possibly ending it all in year of two thousand forty three if we do not make a change in our ways (Pauly 861). These numbers are not an exasperation and they are increasing. Only one percent of most species are recovering from depletion (861). As the caregiver of our world, we must not choose to turn our backs on the question, “Will we still be able to save our reefs?”. Instead we must embrace it.