What is Overfishing?
Overfishing is catching to many fish for the system to support. Over fishing can lead to degradtion of the food chain effecting, the ecosystems and orginisms within it... including us. Overfishing is a non-sustainable use of the oceans, lakes and rivers.
A defintions in use of orgaization and Governments:
A defintions in use of orgaization and Governments:
- The practice of commercial and non-commercial fishing which depletes a fishery by catching so many adult fish that not enough remain to breed and replenish the population. Overfishing exceeds the carrying capacity of a fishery.
What is causing overfishing?
Worldwide, fishing fleets are taking two to three times more then what is needed or consumed. On a global scale, we have enough fishing capacity to cover at least 4 earths.
On top of the over capacity, many fishing methods are unstainable and have large impacts on marine ecosystems. The methods of unslecetive fishing practices and gear cause tremendous destrustion on the non-targeted species and bottom dwellers of the marine ecosystem.
On top of the over capacity, many fishing methods are unstainable and have large impacts on marine ecosystems. The methods of unslecetive fishing practices and gear cause tremendous destrustion on the non-targeted species and bottom dwellers of the marine ecosystem.
Industrial Fishing (Pirate Fishing)
- Modern fisherman use spotter planes and sonar to locate the giant school of fish
- They use huge nets and mile long lines to nearly catch "all' the fish in a school.
- Because fisherman use such large nets, they catch different species (turtles, birds , dolphins, whales, sharks, fish, etc) that were not meant to be caught. This is called "bycatch". Bycatch is the needless loss of billions of innocent fish and other organisms that were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- One key dimension of the overfishing crisis is illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, also known as pirate fishing.
- It occurs across all types of fisheries, within national and international waters, and small scale to large industrialized operations.
- Pirate fishing accounts for an estimated 20% of the world’s catch and as much as 50% in some fisheries.
- The costs of pirate fishing are significant, with the value of pirate fish products estimated at between $10-23.5 billion annually.
The 'Red List'
Greenpeace has identidied a list of fish that have been placed on the 'red list' using 5 critera:
1. threatend or endangered
2. whether destructive fishing methods are used (bottom trawling)
3. whether harvesting the fish has negative impact on non-target species through by-catch
4. whether fish are caught illegally by unregulated fishing operations (or "pirate fishing")
5. whether the fishery involved negatively impacts on local communities which depend on fishing for their livelihoods.
Here are 22 fish species that have been placed on the 'red list':
- Alaska Pollock
- Atlantic Cod or Scrod
- Atlantic Halibut (US and Canadian)
- Atlantic Salmon (wild and farmed)
- Atlantic Sea Scallop
- Bluefin tuna
- Big Eye Tuna
- Chilean Sea Bass (also sold as Patagonia Toothfish)
- Greenland Halibut (also sold as Black halibut, Atlantic turbot or Arrowhead flounder)
- Grouper (imported to the U.S.)
- Hoki (also known as Blue Grenadier)
- Monkfish
- Ocean Quahog
- Orange Roughy
- Red Snapper
- Redfish (also sold as Ocean Perch)
- Sharks
- Skates and Rays
- South Atlantic Albacore Tuna
- Swordfish
- Tropical Shrimp (wild and farmed)
- Yellowfin Tuna
1. threatend or endangered
2. whether destructive fishing methods are used (bottom trawling)
3. whether harvesting the fish has negative impact on non-target species through by-catch
4. whether fish are caught illegally by unregulated fishing operations (or "pirate fishing")
5. whether the fishery involved negatively impacts on local communities which depend on fishing for their livelihoods.
Here are 22 fish species that have been placed on the 'red list':
- Alaska Pollock
- Atlantic Cod or Scrod
- Atlantic Halibut (US and Canadian)
- Atlantic Salmon (wild and farmed)
- Atlantic Sea Scallop
- Bluefin tuna
- Big Eye Tuna
- Chilean Sea Bass (also sold as Patagonia Toothfish)
- Greenland Halibut (also sold as Black halibut, Atlantic turbot or Arrowhead flounder)
- Grouper (imported to the U.S.)
- Hoki (also known as Blue Grenadier)
- Monkfish
- Ocean Quahog
- Orange Roughy
- Red Snapper
- Redfish (also sold as Ocean Perch)
- Sharks
- Skates and Rays
- South Atlantic Albacore Tuna
- Swordfish
- Tropical Shrimp (wild and farmed)
- Yellowfin Tuna
Lack of Protected Areas
Just 1.6% of the world's oceans have been declared as marine protected areas (MPAs), and 90% of existing MPAs are open to fishing. MPAs are important because they protect habitats such as coral reefs from destructive fishing practices. No-take zones allow depleted fish populations to recover and provide refuge for endangered species such as marine turtles. Protected areas allow stressed reefs the ability to recover from climate change impacts, such as bleaching. These benefits translate to improved food security for people who rely on the ocean for their daily sustenance and livelihoods.