The problem of Overfishing

Antonia Bornemann

ESS

Mrs. Medenica

26/11/2013

Current Event

Ending overfishing

http://videos.real.com/v/9ivs65

The video by OCEAN 2012, which is a coalition trying to stop overfishing, talks about the impact of overfishing on the environment and how it reflects back on us humans. Currently, there are 7 billion people living on the planet earth, populating about 30% of its surface, the remaining 70% is water, which all humans are dependent on. The ocean presents the biggest food supply for humans on earth. Fish, from the ocean, is the source where 1.2 billion people get their proteins from every single day. However, nowadays fishers are having trouble catching as many fish as they used to. Scientists state, that in the past 60 years, we humans, have declined the fish population by 90 percent and are suggesting that around the time of 2060 we will be left with no fish at all, due to our own actions: overfishing. The video says that 1.4 billion hooks are thrown into the ocean per year, trying to catch as many fish as possible. But not only that, we have invented other ways to catch fish “more efficiently”. Nets of a size of 23.000m2, which is the size of a net that could hold 13 jumbo jets, are thrown into the ocean thinking this is more efficient than only fishing with hooks, catching 500 tons of fish. But by using this method of fishing, other species are also affected. A lot of so called “by-catch” swims into the net. By- catch describes other species from the ocean, which are accidently caught, usually being around 80 or even 90% of the whole amount of species caught. These by catches are simply thrown back into the ocean, because there is no use for them. Giving an example, for 1 kilo of shrimps, 9 kilograms of by catch has to be caught and wasted. There are already some methods trying to reduce the amount of fish we catch, therefore 47 % of our sea food is farmed fish. However, there are problems created by using this method as well: Many of the fish that are bred eat other smaller fish, so 5 kg of small fish is needed to produce 1 kg of fish. So the idea of breeding fish just transforms a lot of small fish into fewer big fish, this artificial way of breeding fish does not create more fish. The terrifying and alarming statement here is, that this whole problem is our own fault.

In 2008, scientists suggested an amount of blue fish tuna that can be caught, so that the species is able to recover naturally and is not exploited. Scientists suggested that 10.000 tons should be allowed to be caught so that the species can rebuild. However, the EU decided on a fishing limit of 29.000 tons, which is more than double the amount that professionals suggested. However, in the end, 69.000 tons of tuna were caught, which is more than 6 times the amount that scientists have stated. The problem here is that the species is not able to recover properly and will die out soon, only because millions of dollars are spent on this action of fishing.

The only way to end overfishing is to make people more aware of what is happening on earth. If we continue using the resource of fish at this rate, we will end up having no fish left at all in about 60 years. Any sort of resource should be used at a rate that it will be able to recover naturally. However with our actions these days, we do not give certain species the chance to do so. We as citizens have the responsibility of encouraging other people and making the politicians aware of our situation because politicians are the only solution for this. They have to create a law which will end overfishing.

I was shocked when I saw this video because I was not aware of the fact that fish will die out so soon. I believe that people should be more aware of this topic in order to change some of our actions. Any sort of resource should not be exploited, but used at a rate so that it can naturally recover. Fish are a very important species in food webs or food chains so the extinction of fish would not only affect us in the way that we would be unable to have fish for dinner, but it would create a much bigger problem with food webs in the ocean. Other species would be affected by this since their main food supply would just extinguish.

This video connects to our topics in class in the sense of renewable or replenishable resources and resource use in general. Human actions are creating this problem to ecosystems and we are mainly also hurting ourselves. It could also connect to the problem with overpopulation. Too many humans are living at a certain spot in the world demanding more resources, therefore even more fish have to be caught in order to satisfy the demand. A lot of factors work together creating this problem here and the consequences are a lot bigger than some people expect them to be.