...The oceans house great mysteries that are yet to be revealed. Healthy oceans are crucial to maintaining marine relationships and food webs and sustaining the livelihood and economies of coastal communities. Unfortunately, the oceans are facing dangerous losses in biodiversity due to overfishing. Overfishing, as described by National Geographic in an article titled “Pristine Seas Overfishing” (National Geographic Society), is the “taking of wildlife from the sea at rates too high for fished species to replace themselves.” Overfishing has many catastrophic effects on not only marine ecosystems, but also on the one billion people who depend on fish as their primary source of protein (Fisheries and Oceans Canada 2009). As we continue to exploit...
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...Water Resources - Overfishing Science 275 3/2/10 Kenneth Whitehall Water Resources - Overfishing In recent decades the method and technologies involved in commercial fishing has advanced tremendously. With a limited time in the fishing seasons, fisheries are forced to catch as many fish as they can as fast as they can. This, along with the growing population of people and their appetites for fish, is causing a major problem with overfishing. Overfishing is the process of catching fish faster then they can reproduce. It is fishing that unsustainably depletes fish stocks or that damages the ocean environment. Overfishing is causing irreversible negative effects within the ocean waters of the earth. Every living thing plays its part in the entire food chain from the smallest of organisms to the largest of animal. From the bottom of the food chain to the top all species are both predator and prey. Every living thing is connected in some fashion and relies on each other to complete the circle of life. When a part of this circle is either in shortage or is missing altogether, there is a break in the chain and everything pays the price in the end. Overfishing has become a major problem in recent decades. The damage that overfishing has already caused in the oceans is still often a surprise to environmental experts. Globally, 90% of large fish are already gone (Festa, Regas, & Boomhower, 2008). As the fishing stocks slowly disappear, commercial fisheries are starting...
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...Nation: Australia Subject: Ocean Pollution and Overfishing WHEREAS, ocean pollution in Australia has become a significant problem, and WHEREAS, “Almost 90% of the marine debris found on Sydney’s beaches is plastic, mostly bottles, caps, and straws.”, and WHEREAS, The plastic found in the water also washes onto the beaches and can be hazardous for humans and other land animals like, dogs, and WHEREAS, Not only is it affecting the recreational use of the area’s population, it has an effect on the sea creatures residing there as well. These creatures can be choked, trapped or even starved, and WHEREAS, We’ve known for some years now that the oceans aren’t an endless resource. The most recent figures indicate that over 85% of the world’s fish stocks are...
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... H00088813 Table of Contents Part One: Report Abstract 3 Part Two: Overfishing Summary 5 Part Three: Overfishing Stakeholders 9 Part Four: International Implication 14 Part Five: Conclusion and Recommendations 15 References 18 Introduction The human needs and wants are satisfied by the existed natural resources in our environment. Simply, we are totally dependent on natural resources which sustain our lives. Everything we have used and using is made of natural resources, or raw materials and energy obtained from our environment. Although, those resources are discrimination as renewable and non-renewable resources, the natural resources sustainability is endangered by human behavior consuming. Thus, human should consider the environmental aspect when it comes to satisfying their needs and wants. Exceeded consumption of the natural resources will lead to breaking down the environment cycle and destroying those natural resources. One of those threatened natural resources is fisheries resources. Marine fisheries are supplying a major protein source to the world’s population, and they are supporting an industry that worth over $85 billion annually . Fisheries resources are facing one of the biggest issues that threaten it globally; overfishing. During the 20th century, the fishing expanded rapidly to the global scale as a result of motorized vessels, inexpensive oil, refrigeration...
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...video shows how fishing fleets have depleted the oceans of almost 90% of its big fish; therefore, claiming the ocean is not as resilient as it once was. The majority of the largest fish have already been pulled from the oceans, leaving only 10% of its remaining fish for Commercial fishermen to make a living. Most fishing fleets today are two to three times larger than they need to be to catch large fish and other seafood. Because of commercial fishing many fish are not able to reproduce fast enough to maintain their species. A manageable and sustainable plan will need to be implemented to avert these fish from completely disappearing from the oceans. The plan will need to be a partnership between fishermen, communities, governments, and environmentalists. Overfishing has considerably exhausted certain species in the ocean and they are now extinct. To think we can continue to hunt fish, with no major regulations or limits to feed billions of people is extreme. Since biodiversity do continue to decline, the aquatic surroundings will not be able to maintain our human consumption for seafood. This situation can still be reversible by working together with some basic ground rules. Because of the current conditions and the magnitude of the problem, replenishing the ocean may take a decade or perhaps even centuries to restore. In spite of everything there is a way we can have a healthy and productive oceans again. However, we do need to act now before the...
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...case, more and more fish is captured at the amount which exceeds the rate they can reproduce; however, intensive overfishing causes threatens to aquatic ecology. In the past, fishing used to be more sustainable due to the lack of technology to tread into the deep ocean areas. The way people catch fish has changed over the past 60 years. Deep sea conservation...
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...Overfishing: Bluefin Tuna What is Overfishing? Overfishing can be defines 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. Atlantic Bluefin tuna, the most valuable fish among the fish market is in danger of becoming extinct within the next couple of years due to over fishing. Part of the problem is that they are being caught as early as four years old, and don’t start to reproduce till around eight years of age; many are caught before they can even reproduce. This has lead to a ninety percent drop in the species from 1970. Location of the Problem Atlantic Bluefin tuna live in open water mainly around the eastern and western part of the Atlantic Ocean. The tuna spawn in the Gulf of Mexico where quota (in tones) is much lower then along the east side of the Atlantic. The largest yield of Atlantic Bluefin tuna is in the Mediterranean Sea. History Overfishing started in the 1970’s with the introduction to bigger and more effective vessels that were able to catch more fish more effectively. The Atlantic Bluefin tuna gained popularity in the 1970’s with the introduction of the international sushi market. Possible Solutions Measures are being taken right now to try to stop overfishing by making stricter quotas and setting up aquacultures. The 2009 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna quota is 22,000 tones, a twenty percent decrease...
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...Overfishing is the constant catching of too many fish for the stock to reproduce naturally than the system can maintain which leads the structure to degrade so fish are unable to manage their population. In shorter terms, the fish population in the oceans and lakes become less and less until there are no more fish to fish for. This environmental issue causes society to think they can bite more than they can chew but in reality that's a false statement. The truth is fish are caught at a rate faster than they can duplicate themselves. Researchers anticipate that in the event that we keep fishing as we are currently, there will be far less seafood available by the year 2048. Unsustainable fishing practices harm the ocean ecosystem and result in a lack regulations on fisheries. There are also the many individuals who depend on fish as a key wellspring of protein in their diet. Numerous types of fish are losing their unproductive fight due to poor fishing management laws, the supply and demand for fish, and destructive and unsustainable fishing practices....
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...SUTAINABILIT Contents 1. Introduction 2 1.1Brief 2 2. Environmental Issue 2 2.1 Overfishing 2 3 Journal Articles 3 3.1 Article 1 3 3.2 Article 2 3 3.3 Article 3 4 4. Improvement Options 5 4.1 Fish Farming 5 4.2 Advantages 5 4.3 Disadvantages 6 4.4 Payback 6 4.5 ByCatch 7 4.6 Advantages 7 4.7 Disadvantages 7 4.8 Payback 7 5. Self Reflection 8 6. Appendices 9 7. Bibliography 10 1. Introduction 1.1 Brief For this assignment we are to choose a negative environmental issue for our home country, which has national importance. We will produce a case study which includes an evaluation of three different ways in which we can improve the status quo. The report will include * An introduction of the issue. * A summary of at least three journal articles relevant to the issue. * Evaluation of your three improvement options. * Self-reflection on how you could improve the work that I have submitted for this assignment. 2. Environmental Issue 2.1 Overfishing The environmental issue I have chosen for this assignment is Ocean Overfishing. Overfishing is when a particular type of fish is harvested so often and in such great numbers that the population of that fish is severely depleted, resulting in endangerment and potential extinction. This generally is the result of commercial, rather than recreational, fishing. Overfishing has implications well beyond marine life; it affects the human food supply, the fishing industry...
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...Protecting The Global Commons: An evaluation of global fish stock health and management. The global commons share many primary resources that deserve to be managed and maintained effectively. The global fish stocks are included in these. Overexploitation of this delicate resource can lead to not only a depletion and extinction of this precious fish resource, but also a depletion of jobs, economic opportunities and revenue. Many countries rely heavily on aqua fisheries and aqua tourism industries as a great source of social and economic growth. Factors such as bycatch casualties, pollution, illegal fishing, unsustainable fishing and unsustainable management have a large part in the rapid depletion of global fish stocks. International policies are in place to effectively sustain and replenish fish stocks in particular The United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea and The 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. The purpose of this paper is to critically access the government and academic literature in respect to the fish stocks of the world. This paper also aims to critically investigate the international policies and treaties associated with the Ministry Of Fisheries; that govern the regulations of sustainable fishing and fish stock management. Accordingly, this paper will be divided into four quantitive sections: the first section will provide reference and conduct a detailed review of the literature on overexploitation and depletion of fish stocks in the global...
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...Overfishing 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 replenish naturally. However, since the last half of the twentieth century, extensive fishing practices are risking depleting the natural sources of fish. For an ecosystem to remain in balance, the ecosystem should provide a suitable recovery environment. The objective of this presentation is providing the serious issues that result from overfishing, as well as provide suitable strategies for solving the problem. STATSTICSAccording the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) SOFIA report, 52% of the fish stock is completely exploited, 20% are moderately harvested, 17% are overexploited, 7% are depleted, and 1% is on the process of recovering from depletion. The data implies that 25% of the global fish population is either depleted...
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...Solutions for Overfishing xxxxxxxxxx Science 275 July 11, 2010 xxxxxxxxxx Solutions for Overfishing Many fish populations around the world are declining. Many factors contribute to these declines, among them overfishing. Neubert (2005) says as long as people have fished, they have overfished, and that fishery management always has been controversial. That controversy is not surprising as it can be difficult to balance competing goals—conserve the resources while harvesting as many fish as possible. Although industrial fishing is widely responsible for depletions of fish stock in the oceans, recreational fishing also plays a part. Industrial fishers and recreational anglers have been parts of the problem. They can also contribute to the solution. Murawski (2000) finds an exact definition of overfishing to be elusive. He offers this substitute: ‘‘I shall not today attempt to further define the kind of materials I understand to be within that shorthand definition; and perhaps I could never succeed in doing so . . . but I know it when I see it.’’ Former USA Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, writing on ‘‘obscenity’’ Measuring quantities is not enough. Managing fisheries requires qualitative as well as quantitative measurements to determine whether or...
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...Shark Killing and the Ecosystem Introduction Sharks are fascinating creatures that come in all sizes and live in water all over the world. Arguably, these creatures play a very imperative responsibility in the ocean that a fish cannot. Apparently, sharks are the top food providers in the ocean almost in every part of the world. In this case, they assist in keeping the inhabitants of other fish species healthy and in suitable proportion for their ecosystem. However, shark population faces the threat of extinction in almost all parts of the world due to overfishing. Fishers us a technique called Bycatch, a process in which marine mammals or species of fish are unintentionally, caught while fishing for a specific target. Irrespective of the initiatives and laws put in place for overfishing, fishers have continued to hunt sharks for the fin soup, which is in high demand than their meat. On the other hand shark cartilage and shark liver oil are sold as cures for the hosts of aliments. Due to this disparity between meat and fins, it has led to a horrific practice of shark fining. As a result, there is need to create awareness on the importance of sharks in all parts of the world in order to save ocean ecosystem from extinction. Catching Techniques Many fishing techniques and gear are no selective and result in catching and discarding millions of marine life that is not always the target species. Most of the fishing methods like the long line typically are used to catch tuna. However...
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...The Decline of Tuna due to overfishing Tuna are remarkable and impressive wild animals. The Atlantic bluefin can reach ten feet in length and weigh as much as 1500 pounds (more than a horse). Their specialized body shape, fins and scales enable some species of tuna to swim as fast as 43 miles per hour. Tuna swim incredible distances as they migrate. Some tuna are born in the Gulf of Mexico, cross the entire Atlantic Ocean to feed off coast of Europe, and then swim all the way back to the Gulf to breed. These extraordinary marine animals are also integral to the diet of millions and are one of the most commercially valuable fish. The majority of the market is made up of four species: skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and albacore. As the methods of catching tuna have improved over the years, the conservation and management of tuna has not evolved as quickly. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, most tuna stocks are fully exploited (meaning there is no room for fishery expansion) and some are already overexploited (there is a risk of stock collapse). The once abundant Northern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus), which lives throughout the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, is plunging in a free fall towards extinction. The Northern Bluefin Tuna population has a slow growth rate and also a late sexual maturity age. Bluefin larvae have a 1 in 40 million chance of reaching adulthood, an extremely low number for an endangered species. The Bluefin mature...
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...Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Jeremy Jackson “Perhaps the most striking aspect of plant life on a coral reef is the general lack of it. It seems anomalous to even the casual observer that tropical reefs, notable for their dazzling profusion of animal life, are almost devoid of conspicuous plants.†Sylvia Earle, 1972 INTRODUCTION Sylvia Earle’s early observations upon Caribbean reefs describe a forgotten world. Caribbean coral reefs have suffered massive losses of corals since the early 1980s due to a wide range of human impacts including explosive human population growth, overfishing, coastal pollution, global warming, and invasive species. The consequences include widespread collapse of coral populations, increases in large seaweeds (macroalgae), outbreaks of coral bleaching and disease, and failure of corals to recover from natural disturbances such as hurricanes. Alarm bells were set off by the 2003 publication in the journal Science that live coral cover had been reduced from more than 50% in the 1970s to just 10% today. This dramatic decline was closely followed by widespread and severe coral bleaching in 2005, which was in turn followed by high coral mortality due to disease at many reef locations. Healthy corals are increasingly rare on the intensively studied reefs of the Florida reef tract, US Virgin Islands, and Jamaica. Moreover, two of the formerly most abundant species, the elkhorn coral Acropora palmata and staghorn...
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