Personal assumptions and opinions of overfishing

The overfishing crisis we as a society are facing today, in my opinion, has resulted from Man’s view that nature has been created to provide and sustain human life. As Dickens (2004: 4) states: “God has given mankind dominion over nature with Man having the right to use it, work on it and consume its produce.” The general population has only recently been concerned with the issue of sustainability. However, despite this, we as a society have taken and still take nature, and in this case the ocean’s resources, for granted.

The oceans have been plundered for many years without care of what it is doing to the marine ecosystems or the small communities that solely rely on fishing for their livelihoods. Furthermore, the extreme increase in the world’s population has worsened the crisis. The marine populations cannot survive or be sustained under the pressure that is being caused by the global demand for fish.

However, despite the fact that the oceans are suffering from years of human exploitation, fish as a human resource cannot be completely disregarded. Fish make up a large source of protein, so in order for their existence as apart of our diets, we, as a society, need to make a collective effort to ensure the sustainability of marine life.

The solutions; however, cannot be left solely to the WWF and Greenpeace. Individuals that form part of a mass movement toward sustainable fishing will have the most impact on the crisis at hand. The idea of a global civil society within the theory of ecological modernisation, in my opinion, is the best way to put an end unsustainable practices. With consumers becoming more concerned as to what fish they are consuming and choosing only to consume fish that are sustainable, it will stop the overfishing of endangered marine species, such as the Bluefin tuna.

As a society, we need to become more proactive in our approach to sustainability and consider the way in which we consumer and how it affects future generations. The ideal that “I alone won’t make a difference” needs to disregarded and each individual needs to take responsibility of his or her actions to ensure that the marine resources are consumed in a sustainable manner.1.

References:

Dickens, P (2004). Chapter 1. In: Society and Nature: changing our environment, changing ourselves. Cambridge: Polity Press.