...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...
Words: 2059 - Pages: 9
...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...
Words: 2118 - Pages: 9
...Overfishing in the Oceans Introduction Recent studies found that overfishing in the ocean is depleting sea life around the world. Overfishing in the oceans is taking the sea life at a rate too high that the fished sea life is having a hard time replenishing itself. Part 1 Overfishing started in the early 1800’s when humans started seeking blubber for oil lamps. When humans started overfishing for blubber it drastically reduced the whole population. The fish population like the Atlantic cod, herring and sardines were fished to the point it was almost extinct by the mid 1900’s. The disruption of the food chain became catastrophic by the late 20th century. Large commercial fishing ships in today’s industry are equipped with aggressive state of the art sonars to find schools of fish fast and accurately. Some of the large commercial ships have powerful engines that can drag really big fishing equipment through the ocean, so fish really don’t have a chance to escape. There is a type of fishing that is blamed for unnecessary damage to the bottom of the ocean called bottom trawling. Marine scientist compare bottom trawling to a bulldozer, except it has nets that collect turtles, coral and everything that is in its path. It causes irreversible damage to the coral reefs, slow growing fish species and even kills the sea turtles. Part 2 Solutions that we can do to help prevent over fishing in the oceans are, for one to change our eating habits. We don’t have to stop eating fish but...
Words: 863 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 1240 - Pages: 5
...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....
Words: 1171 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 2030 - Pages: 9
...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...
Words: 1063 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 2528 - Pages: 11
...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...
Words: 2124 - Pages: 9
...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...
Words: 1451 - Pages: 6
...“America is addicted to oil,” is one of the most legitimate, sad, and noteworthy declarations that the previous U.S. president, George Bush, had said. However, Bush's statement does not fall appropriate for America only anymore, for this addiction appeared to be contagious. Canada, America's neighbor from the North, discovered on its land the largest amass of oil in the world, a sea of sand marinated with bitumen. In 2008, TransCanada, an oil company, proposed the largest construction project on the planet, a pipeline that would transport tar sands oil from Alberta, Western Canada to the sixth largest refinery ever built located in the Gulf Coast of Mexico. The project faced a great number of criticisms from environmentalists, citizens, and some members of the U.S. government; however, as Canada’s tar sands oil industry grew, American and Canadian oilmen and politicians could not help but turn their eyes to Canada’s oil industry, a market that both countries cannot afford to lose, and so, as of 2010, the Keystone Pipeline made it through three phases of its construction. Nevertheless, the last and largest phase of the pipeline's construction is still on hold, as it will go through one of the greatest and richest aquifers on Earth, the Ogallala Aquifers. Tar sands oil is one of the dirtiest and most harmful fuels on Earth, and the 5,200 kilometer long Keystone XL Pipeline is boosting and promoting its industry in many parts of the world, therefore; its phase four construction permit...
Words: 372 - Pages: 2
...PROPERTY RIGHTS REARRANGEMENT FOR SCALLOP FISHERY SUSTAINABILITY Terms of Reference This paper seeks to review how a property rights rearrangement can ensure scallop fishery is harvested at a sustainable level in New Zealand. An explanation behind the rationale behind the use of individual transferable quota will be given as well as an overview on the subject. An outline of the difficulties that authorities might expect to incur when setting up and managing an individual transferable quota will be undertaken as well as strategies that can be used to avoid or solve these difficulties. Terms: Self-governance, ITQ, OMS, transaction costs Executive Summary This paper addresses the benefits New Zealand can gain through implementation of an ITQ system over the local scallop sector. Following the individual transfer quota system is the most sustainable way forward for fisheries to ensure that future supplies will not be depleted. Strategies can be employed to ensure that sustainable practices are followed, such as rotational harvesting, which gives the fisheries a level of profitability with the least negative effect on all parties. Introduction The rationale for application of individual transferable quota (ITQ) for scallops will be reviewed in light of identifying the ITQ system as the better choice for New Zealand to follow when opposed to a regulatory approach. There have been sustainable practices in fishing on a governmental and commercial level for many years. Laws have...
Words: 2342 - Pages: 10
... 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...
Words: 4085 - Pages: 17
...2005, this was to allow the fish stocks to recover (Commission of European Communities, 2009). This caused major job losses for this sector (Barandic, I. B., 2009). It was announced in December 2009 that fish stocks had improved therefore the anchovy fisheries in Bay of Biscay would reopen (European Fisheries Commission, b, n/d). This was also due to a new Long-Term Management Plan set up by the European commission. In the new Long-Term Management Plan there are new restrictions on Total Allowable Catch (TAC) in place to ensure that the fishing of anchovies was sustainable (Commission of European Communities, 2009). This essay is a summary of the implications overfishing had on the area, the new Long-Term Management strategy in place and the strengths and weaknesses of this new strategy. History/ Implications Overfishing is a serious problem in the world’s oceans. ‘Exploitation of many stocks continues to be beyond sustainable levels, while the status of a large number of stocks still cannot be fully assessed due to lack of data’ (OSPAR, b, 2010, para, 1). Anchovies are used as feed for fish farming salmon, the amount of anchovies used in the feed doesn’t even produce the same amount of salmon, on average for every 5 kilos of anchovies used as feed in farmed salmon only 1 kilo of salmon is produced (Bendell, L. and Gallaugher, P. (Eds.), 2001, p. 216). Therefore farmed fish...
Words: 1838 - Pages: 8
...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 big fish are too far depleted to make a comeback...
Words: 917 - Pages: 4
