Overfishing Research Paper

Overfishing is simply the overexploitation of fish stocks in such a manner that it cannot replenish it. In most case scenarios, adult fishes are caught resulting in none or very few being left in the ocean to reproduce and repopulate fish species. Exploiting the fisheries of marine environments as we all know is an unsustainable practice because if we continue to exhaust this resource there will be none left for future generations and can also cause severe destruction to the entire marine ecosystem, as every organism has a specific function. Destructive overfishing is practiced worldwide by fishermen who display no regards for aquatic life and whose main goal is to benefit from the ocean. As such harmful fishing method are developed to obtain the most out of fishing expeditions, one such practice is referred to as Bottom Trawling.

Bottom Trawling is regarded as the most harmful fishing technique where enormous nets with heavy weights attached are dragged along the ocean floor crushing everything from fishes to corals. Large areas of seabed where fishes find food and shelter are flattened and destroyed to an extent where it cannot rejuvenate itself. Many unwanted species are caught unintentionally, this is referred to as Bycatch where they are thrown back either dead, fatally injured or because

Poison being used to catch fish in many places have been a traditional technique but since chemicals are now readily available this method has become famous. Sodium cyanide is placed in the water to stun fishes without killing them making them very susceptible. This method have devastated many coral reefs by causing death to marine organisms and corals. Explosives such as dynamite is used to blast fishes which are killed by the shock waves created. This not only kills the targeted specie but also destroys all forms of plants and animals, leaving the underwater environment in