A brief description of the problem, the history and the consequences of overfishing

Overfishing, a global problem we as a society are facing today, can simply be defined as the following: “Catching too many fish; fishing so much that the fish cannot sustain their population. The fish get fewer and fewer, until finally there are none to catch.” (reefED, n.d.) The issue of overfishing, although a major concern of many environmentalists today, has; however, been an issue for many years.

The exploitation of fisheries can be dated all the way back to the 11^th Century where fishermen would, after depleting one ecosystem, move on to other, more prosperous areas, leaving lasting damage behind. (Greenpeace, 2011)

A significant increase in the overfishing dilemma; however, came in the mid-20^th century, when increasing the availability and affordability of protein rich foods was of international concern. This led to certain governments increasing their fishing capacity and creating favourable policies for fishermen, as well as providing loans and subsidies where needed. Through this, came the rapid rise of large-scale industrial fishing operations. These profit-driven, commercial fishing fleets were highly aggressive in their approach and were constantly developing new methods and technologies to find and extract their target species. This increase in supply meant that consumers were now accustomed to having access to a large variety of fish at affordable prices. (National Geographic, 2011)

By 1989; however, the consequences of this increase in the global fishing capacity were brutal. With 90 million metric tons of catch being removed from the ocean, the industry had reached its pinnacle, and ever since, the yields have declined or stagnated. This affected, not only the commercial fishing industry, but also the ecosystems within our oceans, as well as society as whole. (National Geographic, 2011)

At present, the rapid growth in population and; therefore, increased demand in fish, has further perpetuated the problem of overfishing and the depletion of oceanic ecosystems. Furthermore, technological advances, subsidies, unfair fisheries partnership agreements, pirate fishers and a lack of fisheries conservation and management, have also worsened the problem of overfishing. (WWF, n.d.) The consequences or repercussions of overfishing have had negative effects on the environments as well as society as a whole.

Environmental Repercussions

With regards to the environment, the consequences overfishing include: depletion of certain species as well as “excessive unintentional harvest of non-targeted, undersized or protected species, and ecosystems changes.” (Somma, 2003) Certain species such as Haddock, Atlantic Cod and Bluefin Tuna in particular, have been severely affected by overfishing and have been classified, as per the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (2004), as depleted or overfished.

The harvest of non-target species, which constitutes about a quarter of global fish catch, consists of the unwanted or unused animals that are caught during the fishing process. These animals consist of protected or endangered species or species that have no commercial or recreational value. They often found dead but otherwise are discarded by management officials. (Somma, 2003)

Finally, the changes to ecosystems that overfishing is causing is also detrimental to the environment. Natural resource specialist, Angela Somma (2003) explains: “Top predatory species tend to be fished for first. Once depleted, fishing moves down the food chain and can simplify the marine ecosystem.” She further states, “This, along with environmental changes to important habitat areas, can affect future fish production levels.”

The image below (image one) is a good representation of the consequences that over fishing has on the environment.

Societal Repercussions

Despite the fact that overfishing and the depletion of fisheries means that humans will have a decreased supply of an important protein source, there are other implications that overfishing has on society as a whole.

In the early 1990’s, in Newfoundland, Canada, the cod stocks of the Grand Banks seemed infinite for centuries. This led to thousands of people being employed in the fishing and fish processing industry. However, in 1992, the cod fishery had finally collapsed, leaving over 40 000 people jobless. Using this example to explain the effects of overfishing on society, we can see that, unless something is done, the effects of overfishing on society will continue to get worse. (WWF, n.d.) Furthermore, for those coastal communities, where fishing is their main source of income and food supply, the implications of overfishing will have a much greater impact. The lack of income, employment and food that is caused by overfishing will hinder these communities’ possibilities of growth as well as worsen their standards of living.

Looking at these effects, it can be said that overfishing is definitely a global issue that is effecting the environment extensively as well as communities, large and small. If something is not done, and if sustainable fishing practices are not implemented on a global scale, the negative effects of overfishing will worsen and we will see the depletion of many more species of fish.

References:

1. Greenpeace. (2011). A brief history of overfishing. Available: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/seafood/understanding-the-problem/overfishing-history. Last accessed 12 April 2011.

2. National Geographic. (2011). Overfishing. Available: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-overfishing/. Last accessed 12 April 2011.

3. reefED. (n.d.). Glossary. Available: http://www.reefed.edu.au/home/glossary/o. Last accessed 12 April 2011.

4. Somma, A. (2003). The Environmental Consequences and Economic Costs of Depleting the World’s Oceans. Available: http://qed.econ.queensu.ca/pub/faculty/garvie/eer/somma.pdf. Last accessed 13 April 2011.

5. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. (2004). General situation of world fish stocks. Available: http://www.fao.org/newsroom/common/ecg/1000505/en/stocks.pdf. Last accessed 12 April 2011.

6. WWF. (n.d.). Poorly managed fishing. Available:http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/problems/problems_fishing/.Last accessed 13 April 2011

7. WWF. (n.d.). Our oceans are being plundered. Available:http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/problems/problems_fishing.Last accessed 13 April 2011

Image:

See-the-sea.org (n.d.). Ecosystem Overfishing [Online Image]. Available: http://see-the-sea.org/topics/commerce/OVERFISHINGfromPEW.gif. Last accessed 14 April 2011