Trophic Fishing Imbalances

The Atlantic cod fishery collapse left terrible ecological consequences. As mentioned above, the fishing technology was a major destruction to the ecological system by using deployment and draggers. The huge nets that were dropped and dragged along the bottom of the ocean destroyed the underlying eco-system in the process. The effect of selective fishing on spawning grounds – that is, selectively over-exploiting one species in an ecosystem – had disastrous effect on the feeding relationships in that ecosystem. This contributes to the overall reduction of spawning stock biomass of the targeted species, but also an increase in the number of invertebrate and vertebrate predators such as crustacean and fish which will prey on cod eggs, larvae, and younger fish. It is a little wonder that a species like cod, would eventually run into difficulties struggling to survive when its habitat is being continuously destroyed and the balance of their food chain had been wiped out.

Too many fish are being caught It is estimated that each year 970 to 2700 billion fish are killed and eaten. There is only an estimated amount of fish caught each year.People are taking way too many fish home in a matter of one trip. Trout and other fish are treated wrongly they do not have scales so they can not be lifted out of water as long as other fish with scales can and you have to wash your hands thoroughly with the body of water you are around. Polluting the water with junk. Bad pollutants are put in the water and it can harm fish horribly. Fish tend to eat plastic thinking it's food to eat. Some plastics carry bad chemicals that could also kill fish.It

Overfishing is a global issue that has many negative effects on the environment (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2009). Fish are a major resource that many people rely on for not only nutrition, but also for a means of income (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2009). As the population of the world increases, so does the demand for fish, which puts oceans under a lot of pressure (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2009). Due to advanced fishing technologies and equipment, going out further into the oceans and catching huge amounts of fish is easier than ever (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2009). Froese (2004) defines overfishing as capturing the fish before they reach their full growth potential and diminishing their chance of reproduction. In other

Ghost fishing is the lost or abandoned fishing gear that could trap and kill marine species.

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.

Commercial fishing has a great affect on the marine life for many reasons. Those reasons include species of marine life going extinct, or over population. Some marine life are going extinct from overfishing because as scientists said fish are able to produce only a limited quantity of fish over time this problem cannot only affect the fish but it can affect the entire ecosystem in the ocean. Some species of fish are also going extinct from bycatch. Bycatch is when other species of fish or marine life is captured in the nets with the target fish that is supposed to be caught. It is estimated by scientists that 25 percent of the commercial fishing industries around the world harvest is discarded bycatch. Some species of marine life cannot only go extinct but it can also overpopulate. Certain types of marine life can go extinct because their predators are going also going extinct. This issue arose in the early 1900s when commercial fishing industries expanded their fishing fleets.

Oceana.org says, “The ocean feeds hundreds of millions of people and have the capacity to provide a healthy seafood meal to a billion people, every day.” As of now, the world’s population is seven billion, and by 2050, the population will be at nearly nine billion (Oceana). This means the oceans must produce at least twenty percent more fish for the upcoming population (Oceana). Overfishing will cause more of a problem in the future because it is an immense source of food for people across the world. If there is no action taken upon this, the world hunger rate will only continue to increase over time. Overfishing also has an economic impact because it does not guarantee protection in the fishing industry (ESchoolToday). Once the fish population is low, company's supply of fish will become low as well. Once the companies do not have enough food to supply their customers, it will put them out of business. This will lead to unemployment of many workers across the globe

Humans are the number one contributor to this problem. With the continuing rise in population that relies on fish in their diet and the demand to meet it there has been more need for fishermen and fisheries to meet these needs. With the increase in the number of fishermen and fisheries in industry, there has been an increase in competition to get the largest catch and make as much money as possible. The race by fishermen and fisheries to increase their catches and the need to meet demands has led to the discovery of the technology and techniques that would allow for this which are often destructive. However, this problem affects more than humans. There are other animals that have fish in their diet. Fish are also in the diet of many species in the water and are responsible for eating some species. With dwindling fish populations and the chance that we will one day be without fish, we face the balance of the species and habitats that are sustained by fish becoming unbalanced or losing many more species as a result.

The ocean makes up nearly three-quarters of the planet 's surface and contains about eighty percent of the life on earth. Millions of people all over the world depend on seafood heavily as a primary source of food. Americans alone consumed as much as 15.8 pounds of seafood per person in 2009 (NOAA). This is a lot of fish. In fact, it is so much that many populations of fish are going extinct. At this particular rate according to National Geographic, scientist predict that the earth is expected to lose all of its current fisheries by the year 2048 (Roach). The overfishing of our oceans leads to unmanageable practices that will eventually cause many species of fish to become extinct.

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 marine ecologists, unconstrained fishing is the largest threat to all ocean ecosystems (Your Cool Facts and Tips on Overfishing 6). Overfishing destroys the oceanic life environments and alters the food chain. If the food chain ends up breaking, the consequences will occur throughout the entire ocean (Your Cool Facts and Tips on Overfishing, 6). For instance, sometimes fishermen out in the ocean lose their nets. While this may seem like a good thing, it is the opposite. The nets will continue to catch and kill fish for many decades. The sport of fishing does not affect solely the species that is being murdered, but it also affects other populations such as the prey and predators of the population being overfished. In the spring of 2015, sea lion pups in Los Angeles County were famished because their primary food source, sardines, were and are currently being captured faster than being replenished, according to Geoff Shester, a marine-life conserver in “Starving Sea Lions Spotlight Overfishing” in The Sacramento Bee magazine. Immoderate fishing only adds on to the number of blameless and pure sea creature

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 triple bottom line of fishing is influenced by sustainability in many ways. One way is the demand for fish increases with population. As well there are new laws limiting fishing, ultimately forcing once

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