Why Overfishing Is Bad

The Puget Sound, home to wildlife and some of the business of this region, is dirty. Specifically, it is dirty with the toxins in people’s lives. The Puget Sound may be recovering, but it is still polluted. With people polluting the Puget Sound, people, businesses, and marine life may be harmed.

Imagine a world without any fish in our ocean, nothing for the next generation no ahis mahi mahis ,marlins and many more fish we won’t have if over fish our oceans. I feel that overfishing in Hawaii is a major problem for 3 reasons such as people are taking fish that are under the size limit on the fish, another example is people are taking the fish that are the big breeders and they don’t give them a chance to repopulate and for the last example is people are taking more than they need and it could be a waste because it just sits in the freezer.

1. It is a scientific fact that biodiversity is greatest near coral reefs and estuaries. But because of human influence coral reefs around the world are dying. Human coastal development, pollution, ocean warming, and ocean acidification are all things that threaten them. The World Research Institute estimated that about ¾ of the worlds shallow reefs are threatened by climate change, pollution, and overfishing. All in which are man made influences that affect the ocean greatly. It is predicted that by the year 2050 90% of the coral reefs on earth will be dead or threatened. Not only that but soil erosion, algae growth from fertilizer runoff, increased UV exposure, and damage from fishing and diving are just adding to the problem. However, the

The impact of overfishing on shark populations has risen into the public eye over the recent years due to several documentaries and movies that have been released recently. Sharks are particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation due to their K-selected life strategy, having slow growth rates, long life spans and due to them reaching sexual maturity at relatively late age compared to that of other marine organisms (Stevens et al., 2000). Fisherman fish for sharks in order to get their fins, which is used to make shark fin soup (a delicacy in South-East Asia). This fishing has had a direct impact on the sharks’ community

I have swum with Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas and have seen how beautiful and strong they truly are first hand. Sharks are a vital part to every ecosystem they are in and currently being killed at a rate that they cannot reproduce at. Alpha predators are a necessary component of eco-systems because they keep the populations of every trophic level below them in check. You can compare an eco-system to a skyscraper; you need every single part so the entire building does not fall apart. Sharks have the task of killing the wounded, old, and sick fish in schools to keep the stocks of fish healthy and plentiful. Andy Dehart, Discovery Channel Shark Advisor, spoke about the North Carolina shark over fishing problem. The shark populations on the East Coast were extremely over-fished which lead to the over population of sting rays, a main food-stock for sharks. The stingrays in turn decimated the shellfish populations on the East Coast, leading to calm and shellfish shortages. This shows that sharks are necessary for every eco-system and their destruction affects us in more ways then we can imagine. Sharks are very at-risk for over-fishing because they take a long time to reach the stage where they can reproduce and in general only have a few pups when they give birth. Most sharks only have one or two pups every time they give birth. These factors make the time-period

Examples of negative local practices are the usage of poison/explosives and overfishing. Overfishing as the name suggests, is fishing a certain fish to an excess amount, decimating the population. This could put multiple organisms’ populations at risk and populations may possibly go extinct. Another practice that negatively impacts the ocean is the usage of poison and explosives. Obviously, the poison that is used in fishing (mainly cyanide) is harmful for the ocean because it may poison other fish over the years. Also, the usage of explosives are harmful because they all kill off things such as coral, and the damaging of coral reefs can take decades before it reverts back to its normal state. To reduce or totally eliminate the way these local practices are impacting the environment, we can place restrictions on what can be used in fishing, and how much you can catch. For example, we can limit fishers to only 10 fish a day. This would give the fish plenty of time to reproduce and would keep the population of the fish steady. Also, we can ban the usage of poisons and explosives. This would stop destroying and polluting the ocean. Instead, we would allow fishers to do other things that would catch fish without such a huge impact on the

In the eyes of society and the public, sharks are viewed as ruthless killers Millions upon millions are killed every year, and fear is a major contributor. The reality is that sharks are very complex creatures, and should be treated as such. They are an intricate part of the ocean’s ecosystem and the ecosystem would be completely thrown off without them. We need to realize that these creatures are invaluable, and that we must conserve these animals. If we do not realize this reality, we could lose sharks forever.

Holland America Line (HAL) has grown into a sustainability leader in the global cruise line industry. HAL, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, was founded as a shipping and passenger line in 1871and in 1895 offered its first vacation cruises. Since the early stages HAL has always sought to become a leader in sustainability, in 1989 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation. This was a huge play for HAL because, Carnival Corporation was the largest company in the cruise line industry, dominating 52% of the market. Since joining Carnival, HAL has been one recognized as a leader in the cruise industry in its environmental sustainability. HAL has been a recipient of many prestigious awards for their efforts in sustainability.

Invasive species are “species that is non-native to the ecosystem whose introduction is likely to cause economic and environmental harm”. A example of Invasive species would be the Zebra Mussel. Zebra Mussels or also known as Dreissena polymorpha is a small freshwater mussel. The Zebra Mussels can live up to three-nine years which can grow up to 2 inches. These mussels attach to hard surfaces such as rocks or boats. They were first introduced to the Great lakes in 1988 but were originally from Russian and Ukraine lakes. The Zebra Mussels were first found in Lake St. Claire (one of the 5 great lakes) which within one year they rapidly spread to almost all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior. This is because Lake Superior is not the ideal

While it may be surprising, humans screw up a lot. The consequences of overfishing cod are vast and more impactful than one would think. Depleting one species of fish is a disaster not just for the fish but the world around. This is not only an environmental issue, but a social and cultural problem as well. Cod by Mark Kurlansky is an excellent telling of the story of Cod, and Kurlansky weaves together disciplines in a fantastic manner. Kurlansky helps readers understand the consequences of overfishing by using cod as a vehicle to convey more significant ideas as well as explaining the causal relationships behind the events that occurred.

The great lakes are comprised of 5 different fresh water lakes, Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie. The lakes are situated along the US-Canadian border, touching Ontario in Canada and Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio Pennsylvania, Indiana and New York in the United States. Roughly 34 million people in Canada and the United States live in the great lakes basin, and also 35 000 plants and animals, over 170 of those being fish, inhabit the great lakes (Zimmermann). This significantly large water body holds an estimate of 6 quadrillion gallons of water. Apart from its large mass, the great lakes is an important recreational and economic resource to the United States and Canada. According to Environment

How has the general view of whales and whaling changed in America? Why do you think the general view on whales and other creatures has shifted so drastically? Do you think there is a double-standard for some animal hunting? Why or why not?

If overfishing continues hundreds of thousands of fish farmers and medium scale fisheries, often very poor, that depend on aquaculture and fishing, will be out of work. According to the Food and Agriculture

Salmon fishing is a sport that that has many participants from around the world. Yet some organizations are making it much harder and less fun. Also, many animals are killing off salmon. I believe we need to fix this and come up with a solution. Fishing is definitely one of the most widely spread sport and is used as a way of life. Many people live off fishing whether it’s catching and selling fish or catching and eating fish. Anyways, the reasons why I think we need to come up with a solution for this crisis is because we have seals and sea lions killing off salmon, ODFW making rules that makes it tougher to catch salmon, and we have dams that are raising the water lever.

The impact of overfishing can bring the economic loss, marine life imbalance, and decreased food security. In term of economic loss, fishing is integral to economies around the world. Hence, overfishing threatens coastal nations down to the local level, devastating communities whose dominant sources of labor and revenue hinges on healthy, plentiful stocks of fish.