Simply put, overfishing is the practice through which humans take wildlife (such as fish) from the sea at a rate faster than this wildlife can reproduce. Sounds harmless enough, but this practice can have serious implications on not only the environment, but on humanity as well. As a species we consume millions of tons of fish each year. We know what types of fish we eat, how they are different, and how they help us function, but we never really stop to consider WHERE this fish is coming from. And the sad truth is, the majority of fish put on our plates have been captured as a result of dangerous and illegal fishing practices, which have terrible implications on our world.
What's the big deal?
For many years, the oceans have been thought of as an endless supply of resources. No one thought it possible that we might ever run out of fish. But, as the human perspective and population has broadened, the once impossible thought of marine extinction is now an extremely worrying possibility. Since 1950, the amount of fish caught per year has increased from 18 million tons to over 90 million tons, and while the growth of this number has slowed in recent years, it continues to get larger, approaching highly dangerous levels.
To fully understand the extent of the problem, we need to know a little vocabulary. MSY, or "Maximum sustainable yield" is the estimated amount of fish and other marine wildlife we can eat without damaging populations and ecosystems permanently. According to the Earth Policy Institute, and a report from the United Nations, as of 2009 about 57% of oceanic fish stocks (areas around the world that we hunt fish from) are currently at the MSY. These areas are called "fully exploited" meaning that we must remain at the levels of fishing we are at now if we do not want to permanently damage these ecosystems. About 30% of these stocks are known as "over-exploited" meaning that the amount of fishing taking place in these areas is ALREADY over the maximum sustainable yield, which has begun have serious repercussions.
A prevalent example of these "over-exploited" areas is the Newfoundland cod fishery, which collapsed in the 1990s and still has not recovered today. Over 40,000 people lost their jobs, and the population of fish reached an all-time low. Over-exploited areas similar to this require huge efforts and long periods of time to rebuild. Finally, only 17% percent of the world's oceanic fish stocks are considered "non-fully exploited" and are under the MSY. However, even these areas are still under threat, as they are coming ever closer to breaching the MSY value.
Effects of Overfishing
So, it can't be denied that overfishing is happening, and happening more severely than ever at that. However, what happens as a result of overfishing? Is it just that fish populations decrease, or is something more than that happening? Well the answer is a definitive "something more than that is happening" because overfishing causes severe complications, not only in the ecosystems of the oceans, but on human populations as well. Many of these problem have already begun to take shape.
As we all know, ecosystems are a careful balance of species. Each animal relies on another animal for their food source. So, when one animal, like the fish in this instance, begins to disappear, so do the animals that feed on fish. As we begin to take more and more fish from the ocean for our own needs, animals such as the whale and shark that need fish to survive are having more and more trouble catching enough to sustain their livelihoods. So, over time, their populations begin to decrease as well, and the careful balance of nature's ecosystems are interrupted, which has disastrous consequences.
How Does it Affect Us?
The all important question for some people about overfishing is about how it effects us. While one of our primary focuses should be on helping the wildlife we have so severely affected, it is equally important to realize how the problem affects us, so we can begin to solve some of our own troubles as well. And yes, as mentioned before, overfishing has terrible implications on humanity as well, so lets dive a little deeper into what exactly these implications are.
1. Running out of food- As the amount of fish in the sea decreases, so does the amount of food that we eat. Now you may think, "If we are taking more fish from the sea, that means more food for us right?" While this is true FOR NOW, it will not be in the following years. If we don't give enough time for these ecosystems to recover, there will be no more fish for us to farm. So, while we may benefit for a few years, we will end up losing food for thousands to come.
2. Destroying economies- In the short term, overfishing is good for our economies. But as we have learned from the many other problems plaguing our Earth today, short-sightedness is VERY dangerous. While coastal communities profit from selling more fish now, eventually they will run out of fish to sell. This will plunge these communities into depressions, and cause even more problems. However, if fishing is regulated, they can maintain a healthy economy for many more years.
Who's to Blame?
After hearing about the dire situation of overfishing, many choose to point fingers at each other, looking for who actually caused tho problems. So who exactly is to blame? Some argue that the individual fishing companies were the cause, as they did not consider the consequences of their actions and merely looked for profit. Others blame the government, claiming that they should have seen this problem arise and created laws to stop it. Some even blame the coastal communities selling the fish, claiming their greed has corrupted them.
However, one has to wonder if WE, the consumers, have caused this problem. Before now, we had never stopped to question where our fish was coming from, and what effect WE might have on the environment. As I have said before in my other posts, consumers have a lot of power, and so far we have not been using it for good.
Conclusion
So what does this all mean? Well, it means that we all need to make a change. And this doesn't mean that we need to cut fish completely our of our lifestyles. We just need to be smarter about the way we purchase and consume our food. Companies that over-fish are doing so simply because no one is telling them not to. They do it because it gives them profit. And while we can get mad at their greed, we have to wonder, who is giving them that profit? Who is allowing them to continue with what they are doing? We are. So, as consumers, we have the power to change which products we buy, and in turn, how these companies operate.
Now I'm sorry that I have to finish this post so abruptly, but it is already getting too long. If you would like to learn how you as a consumer can help to stop overfishing, there are two things you can do. First, make sure to check out the links I have provided below, as they provide great information on overfishing and how we can help to prevent it. Second, you can look to my next post, coming out next week, in which I will be talking about the many ways we can help to stop the immense problem of overfishing. Thanks for reading.
All credit for information used in this post goes to:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/fit-for-the-future/overfishing/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/oceans/critical-issues-overfishing/
http://overfishing.org/pages/why_is_overfishing_a_problem.php
https://www.seafoodwatch.org/ocean-issues/wild-seafood/overfishing
http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C55/fish_catch_2012
https://www.ecowatch.com/one-third-of-commercial-fish-stocks-fished-at-unsustainable-levels-1910593830.html
Images:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/22/world/oceans-overfishing-climate-change/index.html
https://www.opiinc.org/Ocean-Problems/overfishing
http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C55/fish_catch_2012
http://fishstocks.weebly.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse_of_the_Atlantic_northwest_cod_fishery
https://www.oceansoffun.org/overfishing
http://guardianlv.com/2014/02/food-banks-running-out-of-food/
https://envirocymru.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/no-fish-left-in-north-atlantic-ocean-by-2046/
http://blog.studiohelper.com/marketing/marketing-your-studio-in-a-bad-economy/
https://www.deviantart.com/tag/greed
https://www.kumnitcreative.com/tag/consumer/
https://en.reset.org/knowledge/overfishing
Comments