As an ordinary consumer in the United States walks through the grocery store and observes the piles of food, they probably do not think twice about it. However, the process of globalization is fueling consumerism, which causes the overabundance of food present in environments such as grocery stores. One of the often-overlooked items that has a large impact is the high demand for fish, which causes overfishing that disrupts fish populations and by extension coastal communities that depend on fishing as part of their subsistence strategy. Consumerism also increases pollution, climate change, and plastic waste, all of which also devastate marine and freshwater organisms. The consumer industry that is growing along with globalization has a severe negative impact on both aquatic ecosystems and local cultures and economies. One of the largest factors that is threatening both marine and freshwater fish populations across the globe is the issue of overfishing, which is made necessary in part by the overly voracious desires of the consumer economy. In addition, the unbalanced fish consumption that is encouraged causes only a select few species such as …show more content…
Overfishing has been challenged by the rise of fish farming, or aquaculture, which allows popular fish such as salmon to be raised on farms. Aquaculture does help prevent the depletion of wild populations at an unsustainable rate, although the practice has its own issues. The process of raising fish on a farm raises ethical and hygienic questions, due to the fact that farmed fish normally grow up and live in cramped tanks or ponds their entire lives, and if not well-maintained, such environments can become filled with fish excretions, bacteria, and diseases that can then infect the fish. This issue is not present among wild-caught fish, which reside in large bodies of water or rivers that prevent a similar health and safety risk for people consuming the
One of the most commonly shared beliefs about aquaculture is that it has potential to amplify and transfer disease/parasites to wild fish populations, but strict management practices and guidelines have been utilized and supplemented to ensure that US farming operations mitigate current and potential environmental risks associated with aquaculture (NOAA, 2015). Among these practices are regular diver-led inspections to investigate the integrity of nets and net infrastructure, surveillance cameras and even public webcam feeds that monitor the fish farms and in particular monitor efficient use of feed, regular health inspections in efforts to have a head start on disease prevention and detection, and “comprehensive sanitary and biosecurity programs to prevent the introduction and/or spread of pests or diseases from one farm site/cage to another or into the environment.” (NOAA, 2015). Additionally, movements are being made to stop the spreading of disease and to limit oceanic pollution by containing salmon in solid tanks rather than in netting. “In Washington State, Domsea Farms has launched a land-based, freshwater system to produce coho salmon.” (David Suzuki Foundation, n.d.) This method is not only environmentally sound, but it opens up aquacultural boundaries. By containing fish in these large tanks, there is potential for salmon aquaculture to
The Interrelationship between consumers and fisheries is a very complex issue. Overfishing and exploitation of Cod remain one of the major
The earliest accounts of overfishing occurred in the 1800s, when the demand of whale blubber nearly wiped out the whale populations. In the mid 1900s, the harvesting of Atlantic cod, herring, and California sardines drove them to the brink of extinction. These high disruptions cause regional depletions of animal resources which is starting to cause a global problem. There has never been a more urgent time for fishing nations to make a commitment towards the sustainability of our oceans. More than 80% of the world’s fisheries have been, or are being pushed beyond their limits and are in dire need of strict management plans. Populations of fish and elasmobranch fish such as tuna, grouper and sharks have been declining to the point where the survival
As the population on earth increases ,overfishing has become a growing issue in all parts of the world. Fish is a vital food source for many, in the world and counts for many of the cultures and heritages in the world, which means there is a high demand for it . This high demand has caused overfishing to occur. This is a cause for concern since due to the development of better technology, there is a higher risk of overfishing if not managed properly. Canada in particular has been facing the problem overfishing for years now. Due to Canada’s issue of overfishing, the environment and wildlife as well as human settlements all have negative impacts ,therefore a sustainable solution must be implemented. If action isn’t taken, Canada’s issue of overfishing will continue to worsen.
For centuries we have relied on fishing as a means for food. Over the years we have developed new methods of fishing and have enhanced our equipment to capture vast amounts of fish in a minimum amount of time. We now have industrial fishing companies that provide for our seafood demand. As we continue to capture large amounts of fish we begin to shorten supply for the future, reduce reproduction rates, disrupt food chains, harm habitats, and drive species to extinction. III.
In theory, the fishing industry’s capitalistic ideals are respectable, even if they do tend to be overly aggressive in their tactics. There are, however, only so many fish in the salty waters. The fishing industry does not seem to understand this, as is made evident in their overfishing of species popular for human consumption. As explained in an article by the World Wildlife Fund, “Overfishing occurs when more fish are caught than the population can replace through natural reproduction.” ("Overfishing.") When these misconducts within corporations transpire, they cause serious problems for specific habitats and therefore the environment as a whole. Of course, overfishing is not a solely modern issue, although it is certainly made easier due to technology and recent research. The whale population was severely depleted in the 1800s, and in more recent times fish such as Atlantic herring and cod have been brought in to the point of endangerment. ("Overfishing -- Pristine Seas -- National Geographic.") Unless restrictions are put into place, the exploitation of marine life will not end except in the case of species
When fish like salmon are farmed, often the fish are still kept in the ocean; however, they live inside of nets so that they are still contained. There are many ethical arguments based around these net systems because these nets pose threats to wild salmon. Captive salmon can escape from the nets, which allows them to breed with wild salmon. This can disrupt the natural gene pool of wild salmon. Farmed salmon have been shown to outgrow wild salmon when introduced into the wild, and typically have higher mortality rates, which would be poor traits to be introduced into the wild gene pool, (Hindar, et al., 2006). Unfortunately, with the invasive farmed salmon being introduced to wild populations from escapees of net systems, the recovery of the original wild salmon is unlikely, even if decades went by without more intrusive farmed salmon being present, (Hindar, et al., 2006). Another problem is that the nets do not contain wastes from the captive salmon inside, wastes such as uneaten feed, and feces from the fish are dispersed into the open waters of the ocean. Wild salmon can contract infections and parasites from captive farmed salmon in nets. A study indicated that these parasites, such as sea lice, and infections lead to high mortality rates in wild salmon passing near
According to a study done by Living Planet Report in 2015, 29% of the world’s fishing stocks are considered overfished and an additional 61% is fully exploited with no possibility to produce more fish. Our environment is currently afflicted by a number of different problems, one of which is overfishing. Overfishing is defined by FishOnline as, “Fishing with a sufficiently high intensity to reduce the breeding stock levels to such an extent that they will no longer support a sufficient quantity of fish for sport or commercial harvest.” The overfishing situation is being exacerbated by non-sustainable and destructive fishing practices and unfair fisheries partnership agreements; while there are currently attempts being made at fixing these problems and their effects on overfishing, nothing has been extremely effective.
The earth’s oceans are overfished. Nearly 80 percent of commercial fisheries are overexploited and some experts believe that global fisheries will completely collapse by 2048 (Barkin page 1). While these are just facts that tell the worst-case scenario, they should be alarms that spark change in the way we fish. This paper, however, will specifically target overfishing in the Grand Banks in Newfoundland, Canada, and analyze its impact on Earth, its Environment and Humanity. Over fishing is simply when fishermen catch more fish than are being reproduced. Eventually the stock of fish in the environment will be completely depleted. That is exactly what happened off the shores of Newfoundland in 1992. With Cod fishing at an all time high, the Canadian government discovered that the Cod population was almost exhausted. New technology and poor decision-making led to the complete destruction of the cod population in the Grand Banks and this is a mistake that we should never repeat.
For human populations, particularly people in the poorest countries across the globe, fish is an important source of nourishment and food. As a result, fisheries catches represent a huge export of energy and mass that can no longer be utilized by trophic levels that are higher than those fished. For a long period of time, several human populations across the globe have continued to depend on fish as a significant source of food and nourishment, which has contributed to widespread overfishing. The widespread overfishing has in turn resulted in the decrease in the global catch of fish. Nonetheless, the links between overfishing and food security have remained largely unclear and uncertain. According to the findings of research, approximately 50 percent of commercial marine species have been overfished in the past five decades (Srinivasan, Cheung, Watson & Sumaila, p.1).
According to the United Nations, 17% of fish stocks worldwide are currently overexploited; 52% are fully exploited; and 7% are depleted. This means that only an estimated 20% of worldwide fish stocks are not already at or above their capacity(Seafarms, 2013). Catches of Pacific herring have decreased by 71% since the 1960s, with Atlantic herring catches falling by 63%. Atlantic Cod catches have fallen by 69% in the same time(Seafarms, 2013). These are just a few of many facts and statistics on the topic of overfishing. The effects of these statistics and facts impact people’s and animal's lives around the
Overfishing is a death sentence to the world’s oceans. As technology continues to improve a great deal of fish can be caught quicker; but at what cost? The effects of overfishing can lead to the extinction of not just the animals being fished, but also the predators that rely on fish to eat. Ninety percent of the ocean’s largest animals have been wiped out due to overfishing (“Overfishing- A Global Disaster”, 2011). National Geographic cites the academic journal Science (2006) that predicts by 2048, all fisheries will collapse due to lack of ocean wildlife. Fish are not the only animal caught in the nets used by fishing vessels. Often animals such as dolphins, sharks, turtles, and seabirds are
Another global effect of overfishing is fish farming or aquaculture. It was first started to help preserve the ocean and hoped to help people to obtain a reliable fish source. Unfortunately, what many came to realize is the downside of fish farming. One example is water contamination, where consequently waste products such as foods eaten, feces and other dead fish, are all dumped into our main water supply which contributes to water pollution. Moreover, chemicals that are used to treat the fish farms like antibiotics and algaecides are all released into the ocean; which is a real cause for concern for our oceans. Fish that come from the fish farms are pumped full of drugs, to prevent sickness in the fish but this is not healthy for us to eat. There is also a great environmental impact which includes the fact that to sustain fish farms, portions of
This articles discusses how fish all over the world are going extinct due to overfishing. The world wildlife federation claims that " the planet’s fishing fleet is two to three times larger than the oceans can support" which just lets the reader know how big this problem is. The article also express that this is mostly because the restaurants are exploiting certain species. This is not just occurring to fish, even Maine lobster are suffering.
Overfishing began in the early 1800’s when it was discovered that whale blubber could be utilized for oil lamps. Overfishing is when fish are taken from the ocean at a rate that is too fast for them to adequately repopulate. In contrast to every damaging anthropogenic activity, overfishing has taken the biggest toll on the marine ecosystems and has led many fish species to reduce rapidly and others to become extinct. In order to stop this before it is too late, we must enforce sustainable methods, and eliminate the use of these extremely damaging procedures. Overfishing is a global issue, that has resulted in economic loss, marine life disruption and decreased food security, by supporting sustainable methods and campaigning to ban our