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Factors Affecting The Environment Of The World's Fisheries

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Fisheries satisfy the conditions for being a common (public) good by being ‘non-excludable’ and ‘rival.’ No one can ‘exclude’ a person from fishing, but present-day intake of fish will reduce the amount available for other fisherman in the future (‘rival’). Around 80% of the world’s fisheries are being over-exploited leading to a devastating impact on aquatic communities as it destabilizes the food chain and destructs the natural habitats of many oceanic communities. Fish, however, are not the only stakeholders affected by these current threats. The different hazards to this industry also cause a socio-economic and financial loss. Oceans support the livelihood of over 520 million people involved in fishing and fish-related activities. (WWF) Various emerging economies around the world such as Bangladesh, Peru and Pakistan depend highly on the fishing industry for their national income. Additionally, seafood is a staple diet in many developing countries as it is a rich source of protein. With rising incomes in emerging economies, the global demand for fish is growing rapidly, affecting over 2.6 billion people. Due to the various threats, the overall economic position of many developing countries is under pressure. Furthermore, fisheries around the world are already working at or over capacity, causing overconsumption of seafood, leading to depletion in the amount of fish available for future generations. This impairment of fisheries is also coming from a number of

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