What is overfishing?
Overfishing is the overfishing or overharvesting of seafood by humans. Seas and oceans around the world are currently facing numerous environmental problems (such as pollution) that significantly affect the performance of fisheries.
One problem that has become more pressing in recent years is overfishing. Overexploitation of natural resources is not unique to the marine environment, it also occurs in the terrestrial environment, with livestock and agricultural activities, and jeopardizes food security, among other things. However, this is especially important in the sea due to the low social awareness.
Overfishing is not a new phenomenon, but it began to threaten the entire planet in the 20th century. It affects both fish stocks and the environment (coral reefs, water quality, and destruction of plankton).
Types of overfishing
Biological overfishing: Biological overfishing occurs when fishing mortality reaches a level that leads to a decrease in biomass growth. When fishing pressure is maintained or increased under these conditions, there is a gradual decline in growth, a significant decline in biomass, and, ultimately, a decline in biomass.
Bio-economic overfishing: This takes into account the costs associated with fishing. It occurs when, due to overfishing, the commercial margin obtained from fishing starts to decrease. If fishing pressure is maintained under these conditions or increases, it will move from declining profits to net economic losses. A more complete and effective definition of bio-economic overfishing must also take into account the expected evolution of both the financial costs and the prices of the products obtained.
Causes of overfishing
1. Poor fisheries management: The fishing industry has long been burdened by a lack of management oversight and adequate government regulations. The traceability of fishing activities has also been a major challenge.
2. Unsustainable fishing: Unsustainable fishing involves the use of nets, fishing methods, and other fishing gear to catch endangered fish. It also includes the capture of marine creatures other than fish. The unwanted animals are called by catch. And they are usually destroyed and thrown back into the sea. That's why it's called discarding.
3. Illegal and unregulated fishing actions: Illegal fishing activities include poaching, catching more than the allowed amount of catch, and fishing out of season. Unregulated fishing practices that cause serious harm include bycatch and trawling. Trawling is the scouring of the seabed to catch fish. This practice is a major cause of marine habitat destruction.
4. Economic and food needs: Market availability and consumer demand are the main determinants of the amount of fish landed by fishing companies.
5. Government subsidies: Many governments around the world continue to subsidize their fishing gear. This will keep the unprofitable fishery alive and ultimately lead to overfishing.
6. Open access fishing: The "open access" nature of fishing is another major problem of overfishing. There is no incentive for fishermen to leave fish in the water, as property rights are either non-existent or restricted.
Consequences of overfishing
- Removal of essential predators such as sharks and tuna are particularly susceptible to overfishing.
- Poor health of coral reefs: Reefs are essential to ocean life, and once damaged, it is difficult to repair the damage, if at all.
- Algal blooms, In controlled quantities, algae are essential to help marine life thrive, but if allowed to grow at will, they can impact serious damage to fish and coral reefs.
- Threat to local food sources increased overfishing has caused a serious threat to these communities, which are often found in developing countries.
- Financial losses many of these communities that rely on fish for food also depend on low-level fishing industries for their economic viability. Unlike large fishing companies, these companies are much smaller and tend to cause much less damage to marine life. However, if these communities do not have access to food and financial support, they may face problems in the future.
Solutions
· Salvaging lost resources, former US aircraft carrier converted into an artificial reef. Some positive experiences have shown that rational management of catches allows a nearly depleted species to re-establish itself.
· Establishment of international regulations to reduce and control large industrial fishing fleets, pursuing so-called flag of convenience or illegal fishing vessels.
· Promoting reasonable aquaculture. Aquaculture, or aquaculture, currently accounts for more than a quarter of the world's catch.
· Increasing the number of scientific studies that monitor global marine stocks and warn of potential dangers.
· Development of a network of marine parks to save the world's oceans from fish extinction and increasing pollution.
