...Overfishing Overfishing refers to the act of overexploiting fish such that they reduce to unacceptable limits. The problem occurs if humans harvest large fish quantities than they can be replaced via natural reproduction in a given water body. Although catching large amounts of fish appear profitable, it has dire social and economic consequences. Overfishing interrupts balance of the marine ecosystem. Similarly, majority of the coastal population depends on fishing as their source of livelihood. This implies that the overpopulation causes an economic crisis to both the people who rely on fishing occupation; as well as several people who rely on fish diets. For many centuries, the oceans have been a reliable source of fish diets that replenish naturally. However, since the last half of the twentieth century, extensive fishing practices are risking depleting the natural sources of fish. For an ecosystem to remain in balance, the ecosystem should provide a suitable recovery environment. The objective of this presentation is providing the serious issues that result from overfishing, as well as provide suitable strategies for solving the problem. STATSTICSAccording the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) SOFIA report, 52% of the fish stock is completely exploited, 20% are moderately harvested, 17% are overexploited, 7% are depleted, and 1% is on the process of recovering from depletion. The data implies that 25% of the global fish population is either depleted...
Words: 1451 - Pages: 6
...The oceans house great mysteries that are yet to be revealed. Healthy oceans are crucial to maintaining marine relationships and food webs and sustaining the livelihood and economies of coastal communities. Unfortunately, the oceans are facing dangerous losses in biodiversity due to overfishing. Overfishing, as described by National Geographic in an article titled “Pristine Seas Overfishing” (National Geographic Society), is the “taking of wildlife from the sea at rates too high for fished species to replace themselves.” Overfishing has many catastrophic effects on not only marine ecosystems, but also on the one billion people who depend on fish as their primary source of protein (Fisheries and Oceans Canada 2009). As we continue to exploit...
Words: 1240 - Pages: 5
...Solutions for Overfishing xxxxxxxxxx Science 275 July 11, 2010 xxxxxxxxxx Solutions for Overfishing Many fish populations around the world are declining. Many factors contribute to these declines, among them overfishing. Neubert (2005) says as long as people have fished, they have overfished, and that fishery management always has been controversial. That controversy is not surprising as it can be difficult to balance competing goals—conserve the resources while harvesting as many fish as possible. Although industrial fishing is widely responsible for depletions of fish stock in the oceans, recreational fishing also plays a part. Industrial fishers and recreational anglers have been parts of the problem. They can also contribute to the solution. Murawski (2000) finds an exact definition of overfishing to be elusive. He offers this substitute: ‘‘I shall not today attempt to further define the kind of materials I understand to be within that shorthand definition; and perhaps I could never succeed in doing so . . . but I know it when I see it.’’ Former USA Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, writing on ‘‘obscenity’’ Measuring quantities is not enough. Managing fisheries requires qualitative as well as quantitative measurements to determine whether or...
Words: 2059 - Pages: 9
... H00088813 Table of Contents Part One: Report Abstract 3 Part Two: Overfishing Summary 5 Part Three: Overfishing Stakeholders 9 Part Four: International Implication 14 Part Five: Conclusion and Recommendations 15 References 18 Introduction The human needs and wants are satisfied by the existed natural resources in our environment. Simply, we are totally dependent on natural resources which sustain our lives. Everything we have used and using is made of natural resources, or raw materials and energy obtained from our environment. Although, those resources are discrimination as renewable and non-renewable resources, the natural resources sustainability is endangered by human behavior consuming. Thus, human should consider the environmental aspect when it comes to satisfying their needs and wants. Exceeded consumption of the natural resources will lead to breaking down the environment cycle and destroying those natural resources. One of those threatened natural resources is fisheries resources. Marine fisheries are supplying a major protein source to the world’s population, and they are supporting an industry that worth over $85 billion annually . Fisheries resources are facing one of the biggest issues that threaten it globally; overfishing. During the 20th century, the fishing expanded rapidly to the global scale as a result of motorized vessels, inexpensive oil, refrigeration...
Words: 4085 - Pages: 17
...Limongelli 1 Jack Limongelli Mrs. Newell Business and its Publics, Section 2 April 8, 2015 Feeding for a Lifetime: An Analysis of The Current State and Rebuilding Efforts of The Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Population Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Juxtaposing this proverbial advice with the reality of Thomas Malthus’s Theory of Population reveals a disastrous truth: as the number of fishermen exponentially increases, the fish supply progressively declines. Unfortunately, a Green Revolution that would, in theory, save the plundering fish population has yet to emerge from the depths of science laboratories. Instead, the fishermen who were promised to eat for a lifetime are required to limit their taking from the bounty in an effort to reverse the Malthusian inevitability. This depiction is more than a hyperbolic tale to scare away hungry fishermen. Rather it is a phenomenon that is swimming its course across the Eastern coast of The United States as the Western Atlantic bluefin tuna battles to sustain viable population levels. The Western Atlantic bluefin tuna population is officially acknowledged as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Coupled with the commercial success of the species, the diminished populations have necessitated strict government regulation. Nevertheless, the bluefin tuna remains a common resource subjected to the constraints of economic...
Words: 2312 - Pages: 10
...technology has become more and more advanced that has made our fishing more efficient meaning that it has become easier for us to catch more fish. This has and will impact human lives in a very critical way. Along with other of Earth’s resources we have to learn and take care of our environment to keep it in a Holocene state for a very long time. Earth’s resource limited but shared resources have led to much competition among humans. The relationship between humans and fish has evolved over the years along with the new developed technological advancements in fishing. There are many examples around the globe that relationship with fish has changed because of technology. In 1992 the collapse of the Newfoundland Grand Banks Cod fishery in Canada was mainly caused by the technological advancements made in fishing. The Newfoundland Grand Banks was once renowned as the world’s most productive fishing grounds. The first European explorers described the waters as being so full, one just had to lower a basket into the water and it would come up filled with cod. Up to the 1950s the bounty of the Grand Banks was enough to supply local small-scale fishing, as well as feed millions of harp seals. But this happy picture was not to last. The Grand Banks fishery was destroyed by technological advances in fishing techniques in the 1950s and 60s. Small artisan fishing boats found themselves competing with trawlers modeled on the factory whaling ships that had devastated the last remaining whale...
Words: 900 - Pages: 4
...options, either to accuse the other person or not to cooperate with the police. In most cases, the individuals choose a self-serving option in order to save themselves. However, this theory does not only have to apply to prisoners but can also apply in economics in regards to firms and their competition and how cooperation between companies can often lead to a greater good (Dixit & Nalebuff, 1991). These two theories occur often in day-to-day life and seem to reveal how humans are predisposed to think of themselves first before thinking about the good of others. This paper will examine the extent of these theories related to the overfishing of Northern Cod on the eastern cost of Canada and how these phenomena have affected the physical, population and economic geographies of the area. According to Torsten Berhardt, the Atlantic/maritime region of Canada includes the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (2002). Berhardt goes on to explain that these provinces all include a mix of rocky uninhabitable highlands and much more...
Words: 1504 - Pages: 7
...very important component in the Columbia River Basin. The salmon start out being born in the many tributaries of the Columbia River, sometimes hundreds of miles inland as far as Canada and Idaho. After the salmon mature they go downstream to the ocean where they spend most of their live enjoying the oceans bountiful nutrients not found in the rivers and streams, sometimes becoming as large as 70 pounds. Towards the end of their lives they venture back up the rivers to the place they were born to spawn the next generation. Before the late 1800s the “runs” of the fish traveling upstream were enormous providing food for all manner of native wildlife. When the fish reach their home and spawn they die. Their decomposing bodies become nutrients for the local stream ecosystem. This is the only way the oceans many nutrients have made it upstream, in effect the salmon help feed everyone from bears to trees and give them nutrients they otherwise would never get. In the latter half of the 1800s American entrepreneurs started developing canneries along the river and due to technological advancements in canning that allowed mass quantities to be canned and preserved, they were able to shift both the supply and the demand curves outward. They shipped salmon all over the world. It only took decades for the overfishing to have an effect on the environment and culture of the Columbia River. According to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, in its...
Words: 641 - Pages: 3
...The Decline of Tuna due to overfishing Tuna are remarkable and impressive wild animals. The Atlantic bluefin can reach ten feet in length and weigh as much as 1500 pounds (more than a horse). Their specialized body shape, fins and scales enable some species of tuna to swim as fast as 43 miles per hour. Tuna swim incredible distances as they migrate. Some tuna are born in the Gulf of Mexico, cross the entire Atlantic Ocean to feed off coast of Europe, and then swim all the way back to the Gulf to breed. These extraordinary marine animals are also integral to the diet of millions and are one of the most commercially valuable fish. The majority of the market is made up of four species: skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and albacore. As the methods of catching tuna have improved over the years, the conservation and management of tuna has not evolved as quickly. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, most tuna stocks are fully exploited (meaning there is no room for fishery expansion) and some are already overexploited (there is a risk of stock collapse). The once abundant Northern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus), which lives throughout the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, is plunging in a free fall towards extinction. The Northern Bluefin Tuna population has a slow growth rate and also a late sexual maturity age. Bluefin larvae have a 1 in 40 million chance of reaching adulthood, an extremely low number for an endangered species. The Bluefin mature...
Words: 2588 - Pages: 11
...Running head: Sharks Sharks T Tolerico Marine Biology Doctor Cameron Guenther Sharks What do you think of when you hear the word “Shark”? Do you think of the lion of the ocean or perhaps God’s perfect predator/scavenger? Perhaps you think of the movie “JAWS”? Most people will think of the movie “JAWS” and think killer, attacker, and predator. However, are sharks really preying on humans? I view sharks as God’s perfect predator and scavenger. Sharks, like lions, weed out the sick and slow fish to keep the population strong. They also scavenge on the bottom of the ocean any carcasses that settle there. The attacks on humans are more likely the shark “tasting” to see if the movement is a fish. When the shark realizes that the human is not its prey, they move away. Sharks can be found all over the world’s seas, from the equator to polar regions. We are currently aware of about 480 species and there are still species to discover. Some species, known as benthic, dwell mainly on the ocean floor. An example of a benthic is the nurse shark or ray shark. They scour the ocean floor for food. Other species are known as pelagic, meaning they spend much of their time navigating the open seas. Most of the species that we are familiar with are pelagic. Some species even inhabit rivers and lakes. The Bull shark can migrate into rivers and lakes. One important feature of sharks is that they are made up of cartilage not bone. There has been research done on shark...
Words: 2370 - Pages: 10
...resource. The pricing patters of this product show that as long as fishing remains economically viable sharks will continue to be at risk of extinction. There has been a lack of motivation to raise awareness on this topic and as long as fishing remains economically viable it will just continue to occur. To reduce the amount of shark finning in Hong Kong we need to enact more ant-finning regulations. Keywords: finning, Hong Kong, disposable income What are the social and economic factors of shark finning in Hong Kong and how will it have an affect on the remaining population of sharks? Shark fins are a valuable product and a delicacy to people in Hong Kong and many other surrounding populations that are heavily Chinese, but this overfishing has led to a major depletion of the shark species. Although several countries have made the effort to ban shark fishing, if it continues to happen at the current rate there will be a risk of extinction. Hong Kong has only increased their amount of shark fishing because of the recent growth and expansion of their economy. This growth in the economy can be explained by the change in the productivity and also through the performance of their export sector. This rapid expansion in consumer purchasing power due to growth has led to an increase in the demand for shark fins. The social concerns involving the shark fin trade outweigh the economic benefits that Hong Kong would gain from shark...
Words: 1462 - Pages: 6
...10 July 2014 National SC restrains States on remission for life convicts The Supreme Court restrained all State governments from releasing life convicts exercising their remission powers. A five-judge Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice R.M. Lodha and Justices J.S. Khehar, J. Chelameswar, A.K. Sikri and Rohinton Nariman passed the restraint order till July 22, when the matter relating to the release of life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case would be taken up for hearing. Bollywood to open up for Canadian filmmakers The Bollywood market could soon open up on a large scale to Canadian filmmakers, with the coming into force of the Canada-India Audiovisual Coproduction Treaty, which will enable film producers of both the countries to utilise a common platform for collaboration on various facets of film-making. The agreement was signed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Canadian High Commissioner earlier this year. It is expected to benefit producers from both the countries and allow them to combine their creative, technical and financial resources for co-production. CBI quizzes Andhra governor in Agusta chopper deal probe The CBI recorded the statement of former Intelligence Bureau director and Andhra Pradesh governor E S L Narasimhan as a witness in its probe into the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. Senior official to handle PMO's media affairs The Modi government and BJP are planning a major media outreach with a...
Words: 2041 - Pages: 9
...Kyle Ankrum English 110 Dr. Aitken June 23, 2012 Beef…and why it should not be for dinner A vegan is defined as a person who refrains from using any animal product for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Therefore, with the human population increasing on the planet, putting more and more stress on the planet’s capacity to produce food and renew its resources, veganism is becoming more and more popular because it is considered to be a conscientious way of life. For some it is for religious and personal reasons, for others it has to do with the fair treatment of animals. In any case, those whose diet has been traditionally meat-based, the vegan lifestyle is a responsible, choice for very legitimate reasons. Think about where the animal products you consume come from? You are probably picturing grassy farmlands with cows leisurely walking around, pigs happily rolling around in the mud, and coops filled with chickens cozily laying eggs, right? Wrong. These farms rarely exist today. Instead, cows are kept pregnant to continuously produce milk, pigs are kept in windowless concrete cages, and 250,000 hens are piled in one building to lay their eggs. This is what is known as a factory farm. Factory farms are overcrowded filled with terrified, suffering animals. These conditions are unacceptable. By eating meat and dairy products, or purchasing leather or fur, you are supporting these factory farms and their poor conditions. In order to stand up to the industry, we must...
Words: 1970 - Pages: 8
...Oceanography Final 11/4/2015: Bob Howarth, Nutrient Pollution in Coastal Marine Ecosystem Oceans impacted by: Overfishing, Pollution, Climate Change 2010- World’s largest oil spill in Gulf of Mexico Diffuse population=Biggest problem Increase in global dead zone… too much algae -> too little oxygen Nutrient pollution is bad -> less marine diversity, currently not regulated, Eutrophication= Algae Growth, runs oxygen levels to 0 in deep ocean Increased vertical density stratification prohibits the warmer oxygen rich top layer from mixing with Deep Ocean Phosphorus and Nitrogen are crucial to the growth of Algae Phytoplankton need a 16:1-N:P Redfield ration Phosphorus: Bigger problem in fresh lakes, originally thought not to be the problem since scientific studies with phosphorous in small flasks showed that it wasn’t. But then, they tested it in a big lake in Canada and it proved to be the cause of algae growth. Nitrogen: Comes mostly from agriculture (synthetic fertilizer), main problem in coastal waters (nitro-fixation is not common in coasts because of high salinity), proved through tests in tube like pools. Wetter coastal climates deliver more nitrogen pollution to sea because of rain run-off. Gold of Mexico now warmer so there is a higher likelihood of it turning into a dead zone even with the same nitrogen input. Hudson River flows slowly now -> less freshwater discharge -> Eutrophication Gulf of St. Lawrence- climate change altered...
Words: 2502 - Pages: 11
...This conference’s main mission was to settle the two main issues left unresolved at the first conference – the extent of the territorial sea and exclusive fishery zones. In order to successfully pass these measures, Canada and the United States proposed a piece of joint legislation allowing territorial sea to reach as far as six nautical miles. Despite their efforts, many people wanted a twelve-mile limit and therefore the vote did not obtain the two-thirds majority needed for passage (Lawrence pg 161). This resulted in yet another failure in the mission to codify the law of the ocean. Thirteen years later, a third and final Conference of the Law of the Sea would take place. This conference lasted nine years and was finally concluded in 1982 when all the compromises and deals were agreed upon. At the third conference, it was obvious which nations had the most influence and surprisingly, it was not the typical world superpowers. Instead, the most powerful...
Words: 1659 - Pages: 7
