Overfishing Is A Global Issue

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

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

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.

Myers’ and Worm’s article “Rapid Worldwide Depletion of Predatory Fish Communities” (“Rapid Depletion”) focuses on the same pressing matter of overfishing, but their article gravitates more towards statistics and figures. For example, Myers’ article states that a suggested 90% of large predatory fish are no longer present in our oceans. Myers uses blunt facts to reveal the severity of overfishing to readers. Studies have concluded that for a given area of ocean opened up to commercial fishing, an 80% decrease in target species may be found in as little as 15 years. With numbers like this, it is no surprise that our oceans are in such a crippled state. Harmful methods of catching species

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

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.

As I researched how overfishing affects the ocean, I came across an article, from the credible source, World wildlife fund; titled “Overfishing”. As I read more about what it does to the ecosystem; there I learned that “More than 85 percent of the world 's fisheries have been pushed to or beyond their biological limits and are in need of strict management plans to restore them” ("Overfishing"). I thought to myself, that’s insane. As I continued to read I learned that most of the protein the world gets comes from those fisheries; most of the world depends on the ocean for the daily caloric intake ("Big-Fish Stocks Fall 90 Percent Since 1950, Study Says"). Illegal fishing is another culprit of the decline of the fish stocks worldwide. Illegal fishing can range from fishing fleets taking more than they can and ignoring protocols to recreational fishermen who don’t follow set regulations. All of these factors play a vital role in the declination of biodiversity not only at home but around the world ("Big-Fish Stocks Fall 90 Percent Since 1950, Study Says"). One specific way that fleet fishermen are using that destroys fish populations but also that actual ocean floor is, bottom trawling. Bottom trawling is when they rake the ocean floor to drive up the fish to the surface, thus annihilating the fish on all the levels of water ("Big-Fish Stocks Fall 90 Percent Since 1950, Study Says"). This is incredible affectful to the size of the haul, but it destroys the fishery and the

When fish are caught more than the population can replace through natural reproduction this is called overfishing. Overfishing has some serious consequences and this affects the balance of life in the oceans, but also on people who depend on fish for their way of life. For many years’ people have thought that our oceans and seas had an abundance of food. In the last fifty years or so we have realized that’s not the case, the fishing increase and as well as unsustainable fishing practices are pushing many fish stocks to the point of collapse. We all of this issues in mind, we need to safeguard our fish populations and the marine environment to ensure livelihoods and ensure food security.

As far back as the history of man, humans have been dependent on the ocean and water resources for food and survival. While hundreds of years of single handed fishing rods in coastal and inland water channels have not alone been the root cause of overfishing, these common practices today still impact the environmental balance. Ocean overfishing is the removal or taking of wildlife from the oceans and seas at rates too high for fished species to replace themselves and is a threat that exists to our way of life. Overfishing can occur by commercial fishing, single person excessive fishing in a particular area of a body of water, or by other natural predatory activity. A recent report by scientists said that if commercial fish species – the fish caught for food – continue to decline at the current rate, by the year 2048 most commercial fish species will be in danger of never recovering because of the break in the natural ecosystem which would affect the diversity of wildlife in the ocean (Kurlansky, 2011). As a human species, we are responsible for educating each other on this worldwide concern to help save our planet. If this isn’t a reason to begin efforts of worldwide education on overfishing, what is? The impact of overfishing has long term consequences on the human race and the animal population as it threatens our biological balance and our ecosystem. The good news is that there are currently organizations, governments and entities working hard to make a

In order for there to be plenty of fish in the years ahead, fisheries will have to develop sustainable fisheries and some will have to close. Due to the constant increase in the human population, the oceans have been overfished with a resulting decline of fish crucial to the economy and communities of the world. The control of the world's fisheries is a controversial subject, as they cannot produce enough to satisfy the demand, especially when there aren't enough fish left to breed in healthy ecosystems. Scientists are often in the role of fisheries managers and must regulate the amount of fishing in the oceans, a position not popular with those who have to make a living fishing ever decreasing populations.

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

If fishing continues at the same rate, using todays destructive practices, the oceans could become fishless by 2048 (Branch, 2013). Understanding and analyzing the causes and impacts of overexploitation in oceans, can offer insight into possible solutions to remediate current and future effected environments. Today, (see Figure 1) 53% of the worlds fisheries are fully exploited and 32% are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion (FAO, 2010).

Overfishing is a serious problem that often gets overlooked. 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, and other marine vertebrates are examples of fish that are being overfished. Overfishing was addressed at the World Summit in Johannesburg, Africa in 2002 (Bell 17). At the World Summit, many experts in the field of overfishing agreed that the most effective way to battle overfishing is by creating and establishing more MPAs around the world. Although overfishing is a serious problem, there are ways to solve the problem like creating Marine Protected Areas.

Overfishing refers to the act of overexploiting fish such that they reduce to unacceptable limits. The problem occurs if humans harvest large fish quantities than they can be replaced via natural reproduction in a given water body. Although catching large amounts of fish appear profitable, it has dire social and economic consequences. Overfishing interrupts balance of the marine ecosystem. Similarly, majority of the coastal population depends on fishing as their source of livelihood. This implies that the overpopulation causes an economic crisis to both the people who rely on fishing occupation; as well as several people who rely on fish diets. For many centuries, the oceans have been a reliable source of fish diets that

By 2050, we could effectively be out of fish.” (United Nations, 2010) In the 21st century, fisheries are facing a crisis along with some other public goods. 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.