More than 2 billion people rely on seafood as a source of dietary protein. Without proper management, fishing threatens the ocean’s ecosystem through massive hauls that devastate fish populations. Overfishing not only endangers ocean biodiversity, but also jeopardizes the stability of the seafood industry, leading to a potential food crisis.
Overfishing is not a modern phenomenon. The fishing industry in the early 19th century destroyed the local whale population near Cape Cod in pursuit of whale blubber. In addition, the onset of the industrializing led to the rise of fishing operations that harvested more than 90 million tons of fish by 1989. A 2003 report states that industrial fishing depleted more than 85 percent of large ocean fish.
With this drop in fish populations, commercial fleets began fishing deeper in the ocean to locate and catch fish. This phenomenon is known as fishing down and destabilizes the natural balance of marine ecosystems.
Cruel fishing practices such as trawling also threaten the livelihood of countless sea animals that are unintentionally trapped in fishing nets as bycatch. In addition to catching target fish, trawlers end up hurting other species ranging from coral reef to dolphins and sharks, 30-40 percent of which end up completely wasted. Commercial fishing also contributes to habitat destruction, exacerbating ecosystem imbalances.
As one might expect, overfishing is unsustainable, and the fishing industry is now struggling to meet worldwide demands. Without fish to catch, fishing companies go out of business and countless fishermen suffer from unemployment. Data analysis indicates that overfishing practices may lead to the collapse of all fisheries on a global scale by 2048.
Today, governments around the world are designing and implementing fishing regulations to prevent overfishing and restore fish stocks. The main goal is to modify fishery management through sustainable practices.
For example, America’s top fishing port has installed sensors on boats that detect the temperature, salinity, and oxygenation of ocean water. Fishermen use this information to identify target fish populations while avoiding bycatch. Fishing regulations also guard the interests of fishermen and secure the long-term success of fisheries, thereby promoting a better future for humans and fish alike.
Policy reform has led to the establishment of annual catch limits, which help reduce overfishing. Over the past 20 years, dozens of species that were once overfished have repopulated marine ecosystems sufficiently and are now fished at sustainable levels.
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) actively works with the fishing industry to reform management systems. The fund has collaborated with fishing outfits in the Gulf of Mexico and their impact can be seen in the rising numbers of various marine species, including red snapper.
Surveillance systems can also help monitor fishing activities and ensure fishing outfits comply with catch limits. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) supports the use of camera systems aboard fishing vessels for the purposes of data collection and compliance evaluation.
Nonprofit organizations also play an important role in keeping fishing operations in check. Global Fishing Watch is a nonprofit dedicated to monitoring fishing activity around the globe through open-access video monitoring. Their collected data has been used to identify illegal fishing operations and arrest the involved captains and crews.
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