The Overfishing Of Our Oceans

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

Modern fishing methods have first and foremost created serious problems for ocean ecosystems. Scholastic Scope states, “The populations of almost all fish species that we eat have shrunken, some drastically, as a result of overfishing, or catching fish faster than they can reproduce” (Dignan 14). Sadly, fish cannot reproduce fast enough to sustain their populations when different fishing techniques drain their ecosystem’s health. Because humans are relatively new organisms, fish, a much older species, have not adapted to modern fishing techniques and overfishing in the sea. Therefore, oceans are at risk because fish cannot compete with newer, more efficient fishing techniques produced by humans. Climate change is furthermore another major threat to oceans. As published by Scholastic Scope, “Warming ocean waters, rising sea levels, and violent storms disrupt the lives of many species and affect fragile marine ecosystems” (Dignan 14). Although climate change may now be a controversial issue, its footprint and effects have no doubt left their mark. Powerful and destructive climate change has also been the culprit of extinction for many other animals such as the marine animals during the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Since things often repeat itself in history, the ocean could have a Holocene extinction event, which would completely

Bycatch is defined by Webster’s dictionary as: “the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species”. Bycatch is one of the most threatening facets of overfishing. It is responsible for removing vast numbers of aquatic life from the ocean, aside from the target species. Another stimulating characteristic found in Myers’ “Rapid Depletion” that is not present in Allan’s “Overfishing” is a solution to current crisis we face. While Allan’s article does a sound job of relaying the message of how important the issue itself is, Myers’ entry offers a suggestion on how to combat it. Specifically, in Myers’ “Rapid Depletion”, he states that there are several ways to successfully combat overfishing: “more efficiently catch target species and reduce bycatch, elimination of taking immature fish before they have time to successfully breed, and of course, momentarily decrease global catch limits” (Myers 281-282). Both articles contain relevant information and utilize visualizations, however the graphs and charts found in “Rapid Depletion” are clearly more advanced and target

Have you ever thought about what you are eating? You should do that from now on, as all seafood (with an exception of jellyfish) will be extinct by 2050. Seafood is becoming scarce, and humans continually do things that make matters worse, such as overfishing, illegal fishing, and more. In this essay I will merely state four of those many issues and how to fix them. One of the many issues is pollution.

Fishing is a great hobby for the “average Joe.” People fish for fun, family bonding, and to make a living. Overfishing, defined as excessive fishing to an extent, damages local ecology. “Overfishing.org”, found at, http://overfishing.org/pages/what_is_overfishing.php, states, “Catching too many fish; fishing so much that the fish cannot sustain their population”. This means that too many fish are taken out of the water too quickly causing a low population count. People who are overfishing oceans, lakes, rivers, etc. are affecting local biological organism and humankind itself. Humans constantly fishing these bodies of water affect the whole food chain. In a few years, your favorite fish may not exist. World powers, such as the United States

This will restore the broken and damaged food chains and environments and protect other species to be further harmed. David Biello stated, “64 large marine ecosystems” provide 83% of the world’s seafood today. The cause of overfishing has placed threats of many fish that many Americans buy in this century. Marine biologist Stephen Palumbi of Stanford University states, “Unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the oceans species together, as working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood.” When fishermen run out of fish to harvest in a certain area they move to new or deeper waters. Daniel Pauly once said, ”And, just as a Ponzi scheme will collapse once the pool of potential investors has been drained, so too will the fishing industry collapses as the oceans are drained of

Commercial fishing is a tremendously important economic activity, overfishing has led to a depletion of worldwide fish stocks, threatening the viability of the industry. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is a significant problem that affects the marine ecosystem and those who depend on it for

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

Some believe that the laws applied to prevent overfishing aren’t enough and they argue that there is a lack of public awareness and political attention. Alex Rogers, professor of the conservation biology at UK’s Oxford University, highlights the fact that most of the ocean world is not under major jurisdiction of major countries, therefore, there is a problem enforcing environmental laws in the ocean. Robert sums up a solution of the problem being fishing less, with more suitable measures, polluting less while also remain in terms of sustainability and environmental protection.

Water is without a doubt the most important matter on the planet. Earth is more than seventy percent water, and it is hard to believe that the Earth would exist without all of that water. Being the most important matter on the planet, it should be protected. Over the past years, oceans are increasingly dying out across the world. The main reason this is happening is due to us, the human race. Life inside the ocean is being drastically harmed by our tendencies to litter, pollute, contaminate and even fish. Fish are extremely important to the sea, and without them our oceans would be dying out even faster. Fish breathe in the oxygen in the water, and let out carbon dioxide allowing them to survive under water along with helping corals and many other sea creatures as well. A huge issue going on across the world are the number of corals that are dying. Coral depend on fish to help them survive, and the main reason they are dying is because the fish are dying. Fish across the world are increasingly being wiped out, and soon enough there will be no fish left at all. The main reason these fish are being wiped out, is because of our fishing habits. Across the globe we are fishing at a more than efficient rate, and it seems as if there is never enough fish to have stored up. Excessive overfishing is one of the many

Since the beginning of the human race, the ocean has been a major source of food. People near the shores have been taking of advantage of the ocean’s rich and diverse source of nourishment for centuries, both as a source of food and a livelihood. However, since the dawn of the industrial age, humans have begun to take from the ocean more that it can give. As a result, the ocean can no longer provide the human race with the abundance that it once did. As technology rapidly advances, populations skyrocket, and global warming spreads havoc, the ocean’s biodiversity and once abundant supply of fish is dwindling, calling marine scientists and experts to race to find solutions that will restore the oceans health while battling world hunger.

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.

Overfishing is an enormous issue that needs to be corrected or there will be no more fish to catch in the future. The true definition of overfishing is as defined by the national fisheries act from 1996 overfishing is “a rate or level of fishing mortality that jeopardizes a fishery's capacity to produce maximum sustainable yield (MSY) on a continuing basis(kennedy, 2016)." Some of the facts of overfishing are so shocking they would blow you out of the water, as well as some of the effects overfishing can have on the fisheries. The solutions to overfishing are extremely simple and completely within our power to do.

Overfishing has become a devastating reality and priority concern to our Oceans in South Africa, as well on a global scale. The interest of overfishing, is to eradicate hunger issues in developing countries all over the world, as well as to create a vast improvement of job opportunities, however due to our unsustainable fishing practices, it is just a matter of time before our oceans are completely depleted of marine species, and the destruction of the aquatic ecosystem. This issue will resort to irreparable socio-economic and environmental circumstances that will be of severe consequence if we do not alter our local and international commercial fishing operations. Due to overfishing throughout the continents, South African waters has become a viable target for international role players to maintain the demand of fishing operations and fish stocks that is required for global markets. Due to inadequately monitored fishing operations, overfishing has left South Africa with a significant shortage of food resources for the poor, who depend on fish as their staple diet. According to the World Wildlife Fund, “Seafood is the largest traded food commodity in the world. Approximately three billion people worldwide rely on seafood as their primary source of protein. As the world tries to meet that demand, 55 percent of the world’s fisheries are fished to their maximum sustainable yield, while 30 percent have been pushed beyond their biological limits. Preserving healthy fish