The Downfall Of Marine Life On The Brink Of Catastrophic Collapse

Fish, one of the worlds’ leading food source in all regions of the world, but what if one day that food source was to deplete so drastically that one could no longer use it as a food source? What would happen to the people that rely solely on this source? What would happen to the people that relied on catching fish as a job? What would happen to the worlds’ economy? These are only a few questions that should be a concern in the result of Overfishing. The ocean is a big and mass world living among us, taking up seventy eight percent of our space on Earth. This makes the idea of overfishing sound ridiculous and people often ignore the idea. How could we possibly deplete such a large resource? However, overfishing is not a concept to be taken lightly. Not every fish in the ocean is editable and not every fish is able to be reached by fisherman. However, the fish we do commonly eat and catch is being caught at an alarming rate, faster than they are able to reproduce, but we will talk about this more later. For one to better understand overfishing, one must be aware of the causes of Overfishing and the effects it has on our society.

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

Millions of people rely on fishing for their livelihood and nutritional needs. For decades, oceans have provided us with a bounty of seafood for these needs, but there is a limit to everything. Unsustainable fishing practices and overfishing over the last few decades have pushed our oceans to the limit and they may now be on the verge of a collapse, thereby affecting the everyday way of life and source of income of those who depend on them. With no productive fish left in the sea to fish, fishermen and fisheries are bound to go out of business in no time.

Sharks are known as one of the deadliest creatures in the aquatic ecosystem, but what would happen in the world’s ocean without those sharks? The depopulation of sharks is increasing dramatically due to human impacts. If this continues, it will negatively impact all aspects of ocean life and environment (Ferretti et al, 2010). The depopulation of a creature so high on the aquatic food chain can lead to the overpopulation of other organisms, which causes a domino effect on all creatures in the ocean. This could either rapidly increase or decrease their population, altering the food chain altogether (Ferretti et al, 2010). Focusing on how the population decreases is the only way to prevent it. Elaborating on the over-fishing of such important creatures, as well as the negative effects that go along with depopulation, is the most proficient way to relay the message of these processes being such an issue. It is remarkable how important one sea creature can be to the entirety of the oceanic food chain as well as to the aquatic ecosystem as a whole.

Today studies show that 25% of U.S. fish stocks are depleted, which has caused many important fisheries to fall apart. (3) Bottoming trawling is one of the most harmful fishing methods out there. Most bottom trawlers are used to catch fish species like cod, shrimp, and flounder, which live on the ocean floors. Bottom trawling can also result in other fish and marine life being collected that were not intended. This process also leads to severe

We are currently in danger of facing the sixth marine life extinction due to overfishing. Ocean life plays an important role in the human environment. Roughly three quarters of our planet is covered in oceans, giving us the oxygen and fresh air in the atmosphere that we need. A major extinction of fish in oceans around the world can cause dangerous harm to ecosystems, and negatively affect the lives of humans around all areas.

Obviously nets, buoys, and lines are regularly let loose by fishermen. Ghost nets are often found throughout the ocean. Ghost nets are fishing gear, that are found drifting through the ocean. These nets can be extremely harmful towards many species in the open ocean. However; Many animals mistake plastic debris for food and eat it. This fills their stomachs with chemicals they can't digest. On the other hand, if the fish do not eat the debris, most likely they are entangled in it. Whilst they are entangled they can be severely injured or die. Debris gets caught around the necks of marine life, which eventually suffocates the organisms. The alarming environmental issue of trophic fishing triggers marine

The world has been industrializing for over a century, leading to better lives for people everywhere. Unfortunately, industrialization often results in an overuse of resources that can often have unintended consequences. In today’s world, industrialization of the fishing industry has led to a rapid decline in many fish species. This is due to a number of factors, ranging from changing ocean temperatures, acidification and degradation of many natural habitats fish depend on, to poor measurement of current fish populations. The main factor in the decline of fish populations worldwide, however, is overfishing on a massive industrial scale. The decline of fish populations could have massive consequences for ocean ecosystems and could result in shortages of fish many communities have grown dependent on not only for food, but to support their local economies. In order to find the best solution to the rapid decline in fish populations worldwide, evidence must be analyzed relating to the environmental, economic, scientific, historical, and futuristic lenses.

One problem that is hurting the world’s oceans is overfishing. Fueled by the overgrowing demand for raw fish and seafood, fishing companies are now using methods that could severely deplete the world’s fish population. This problem is evident in East Asia, where seafood demand has reached record peaks, forcing fishing companies to begin fishing in natural habitats once closed to commercial fishing. Overfishing has

Bycatch is all of the extra items the net catches outside of the targeted species. Practices like trawling, could lead our marine ecosystems to suddenly collapse, leading our already severe problem to spiral out of control. This practice is not the only method that is currently being used that is resulting in terrible consequences.

On November 3, 2006, the New York Times published a front-page article titled, “Study Sees 'Global Collapse ' of Fish Species.” Within the article, experts cited that if “fishing around the world continues at its present pace, more and more species will vanish, marine ecosystems will unravel and there will be 'global collapse ' of all species currently fished, possibly as soon as midcentury.” (Dean, 2006). The issue of overfishing, which is defined as “continuously taking more fish than can be replaced by reproduction and growth,” (Overfishing: What Everyone Needs to Know, Hilborn 5) has become prevalent in society today. This is because of the advancements in technology and the pressure made by food industries for fisheries to catch

To expand on our oceans current status, large-scale evaluations of marine biodiversity loss have revealed that, “Human impacts have depleted >90% of formerly important species, destroyed >65% of sea grass and wetland habitat, degraded water quality, and accelerated species invasions.” (Lotze et al., 2006). Intentional or unintentional, it matters not, ocean exploitation and degradation is an ongoing crisis.

Even more shocking is the fact that one fourth of the fish caught are thrown back dead into the sea because they are either too small, or unwanted (Harris, Codur 1). This phenomenon is referred to as bycatch, uselessly killing millions of fish due to the indiscriminate fishing gear; take for example the estimated twenty eight million tons of bycatch left to rot in the ocean in 1994(Harris, Codur 1). Scientific statistics have shown that a sizable about of fish are being pillaged from our oceans to meet the demands of a few powerful consumers and with such shocking numbers, we can only assume that there will be repercussions.

Humans are the ones responsible for the damage caused to our oceans by overfishing. MPAs are essential to preserve and protect the biological diversity of the oceans (Kechington, Ward, Hegerl 7). In “The Benefits of Marine Protected Areas,” by Richard Kenchington, Trevor Ward, and Eddie Hegerl, talk about why MPAs are crucial to the prevention of overfishing. In a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) study, over 70% of fish

The ocean is an extraordinary working machine. It benefits from itself as we benefit from it. This machine controls the earth’s climate, offers food for oceanic species and humans, trade, commercial and industrial transport, natural medicines and of course recreation (Ocean and Human Health, seaweed.com). Consequently, we need to be aware on how we use the ocean due to its rich, and yet scarce, resources and convenience. This massive body of water is an ecosystem that houses many organisms that are effected by people’s wrong doings. Humans are specimens of habitat and cannot seem to understand whatever we do has a severe ripple effect on ourselves and living organisms, we are all a part of the earth’s hierarchy and we need to preserve its balance. Various studies have proven that humans are the ultimate cause of the oceans ecosystem matters. This results in the ocean failing to sustain itself, so we need to take action. The clock is ticking and the ocean is suffering from pollution, overfishing, habitat alteration, bycatching, invasive species and coastal development (Saier, 2007). Nonetheless, this raises the question to how are these issues having an effect on the ocean’s ecosystem?