The Oceans

Halie Cousineau 2/24/11

Envir. Issue English 308j

"The fish don’t stand a chance"

Environmental sustainable issues today deal with many things humans consume, whether it is food, water, fossil fuels, or fish. Fish may not be the first thing that comes to mind when someone talks about environmental sustainable issues but the oceans are being overfished and many marine species are in danger of collapsing ("MarineBio"). The oceans cover about 71 % of the surface of earth and they provide the largest amount of protein for humans ("help save the sea") but about 80% of fish are almost completely depleted (Koster, "Why is overfishing). The decrease in the fish population and diversity is mainly affected by overfishing. Overfishing has a large negative effect on the fish population because of the destructive fishing techniques, and the general overfishing of depleting species, but there are ways to help recover the fish in the sea.

The fish people buy at the grocery story are not caught by the methods most people may think. Fishing has received the name industrial fishing because large ships with processing plants, refrigeration storage and packing plants on board go out fishing with sonar to point out where to catch the fish that will be sold around the world ("Background”). These fish are also not caught by the pole and line method they could be caught with FADs, which is a fish attraction devices, or drift nets, dredging, harpooning, and more ("Fishing on Line"). Two extremely destructive and popular forms of fishing are long line fishing and bottom trawling.

Although most humans have not been able to explore the ocean floor we know that it is just as diverse as dry land. There are plants and animals living in habitats like in your back yard ("USGS"). But when bottom trawlers fish they tear up the floor of the ocean. Bottom trawling is a form of fishing where a large net is dragged behind the back of a boat, however this is no ordinary net. These nets that are dragged along the bottom of the ocean have metal plates and wheels along the bottom of the net to collect everything in its path. "Think of it as driving a huge bulldozer through an unexplored, lush and richly populated forest and being left with a flat, featureless desert. It's like blowing up Mars before we get there” ("Bottom trawling"). This method of fishing is not only pulling everything up from the bottom the ocean, but all the fish caught are not being used; "bottom trawling operations catch 20 pounds of “bykill” for every pound of targeted species" ("Bottom trawling impacts”). This means most of the fish caught are unwanted and thrown back into the ocean, usually dead: “many creatures end up mistakenly caught and thrown overboard dead or dying, including endangered fish and even vulnerable deep-sea corals which can live for several hundred years“ ("Marine Conservation Biology Institute"). It is said that 90% that is caught in bottom trawling is thrown back ("Marine Conservation Biology Institute"). Bottom trawling has even more problems; it causes a large stir up of the ocean sediment, to the point where the clouds of sediment can be seen from satellite imagery long after the trawlers have been there ("Bottom trawling impacts”). Bottom trawling is just one of many destructive and abusive forms of fishing, another way to fish that also causes environmental issues is long line fishing.

Long line fishing is dragging a long line about 50 to 100 km in length behind or under the back of a boat. This line will have hooks placed along it with bait to attract and catch as many fish as possible, but the intended catch is shark, tuna or swordfish ("Fishing on Line"). Long line fishing is banned in some areas like the United States along the Pacific Coast; it is banned because the negative impact it has on marine life (stop shark fining). Yet long lining is still used around the world and it is a popular form of fishing. This method of fishing is a large threat to many marine life, not just to fish but to marine mammals: “They are indiscriminate - they catch not only the "target", but endangered sharks, leatherback and loggerhead turtles, and seabirds, especially albatross. Over 25% of long-line catch is thrown back into the sea, usually dead” ("Fishing on Line"). Long Line fishing also has a direct connection to shark fining.

Shark fining is not only a wasteful form of collecting food but it is viewed by many to be cruel. Sharks are very important to the sustainability of oceans because they are the top ocean predator that controls fish and other marine life populations (Drinkard). However sharks are being caught for their fins, which are cut off and then the body of the shark is thrown back into the ocean. Many times the shark will still be alive when thrown back into the water (Nichols). A popular way to catch sharks for their fins is to use long line fishing (stop shark fining). “The National Marine Fisheries Service reports that in 1999, 87,576 sharks were caught on long lines in Hawaiian waters, and about 29,000 of them were released alive. And 57,286 were finned" (Nichols). Long lining is not always used for the fining of sharks however when the sharks are unintentionally caught they have a low survival rate. Overfishing has a lot to do with improper or illegal fishing techniques and fishing species that are vital to a balanced ecosystem but also sometimes fish are just fished too much in an area.

Overfishing causes fish stocks to decrease so much that they cannot recover ("MarineBio"). This is happening everywhere around the world due to the demand of fish because we are extremely dependent on fish for food. Due to the demand of specific fish the prices are increasing making it more appealing for people and governments to industrialize fishing (Nuttall). Over 3.4 billions people’s primary food source is the ocean and it is said that this number could double to 7 billion in the next 20 years ("Help Save the Sea"). The result of overfishing is “52% of fish stocks are fully exploited, 20% are moderately exploited, 17% are overexploited, 7% are depleted, and 1% is recovering from depletion” (Koster, "Why is overfishing”). One of the biggest problems with overfishing is the overfishing of specific fish. “Seven of the top ten marine fisheries, accounting for about 30% of all capture fisheries production, are fully exploited or overexploited” and “As many as 90% of all the ocean’s large fish have been fished out” ("Poorly managed fishing"). Although the oceans are being overfished there is optimism and things people can do to help reduce the demand of fish to diminish overfishing.

Overfishing is becoming a large problem that could expand to an even larger one within years, but there are ways to change what is happening. One small action taken by everyone such as eating the fish that are in-season would be very helpful. Save the Sea says, "Not all seafood is created equal. There are good - and - bad choices for the ocean." so being a conscious shopper and consumer could help. Save the Sea labels good fish choices as eating fish that have a high populations and also eating this type of fish in a sustainable way. The best way to know what to eat or buy is being educated on the subject and spreading the word once you know. A great place to look at if you are unsure is: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx. This website is for the Seafood Watch where they give you a guide to seafood depending on the area you live in ("Seafood Watch"). Other things can be done too like putting limits on the amount of fish that can be caught and on the "bycatch". This would limit not only the amount of fishing coming out of the sea but also the fish that are killed but are not used in fishing practices like long lining and bottom trawling (Koster, "What can I do"). In order to have these regulations there would need to be enforcement of the fish caught, to ensure no illegal fishing takes place. Another thing that is starting to happen is the protection of specific areas, mainly important and pristine areas. Theses locations would be the sea floor, coral reefs, estuaries and other important habitats for fish (Koster, "What can I do").

“Overfishing cannot continue,” warned Nitin Desai, Secretary General of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, which took place in Johannesburg. “The depletion of fisheries poses a major threat to the food supply of millions of people" (Nuttall). Overfishing is becoming a problem and this problem will increase over time creating a deficit in a major food source. Although the failing fish population does have another element creating a decrease overfishing plays a large role in it. Some things that have a direct correlation with overfishing and fish populations decreasing is destructive fishing techniques, and the general overfishing of depleting species, but there are ways to help stop overfishing and it is an obtainable goal.

Reference:

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Videos:

"OCEAN of TRUTH." Web. .

"Sharks are going extinct; help save them!." Web. =1&list=QL&index=39>.

"The Truth About Bottom Trawling." Web. dex=3>.