Overfishing the World Big Fish Population

The overfishing of our world’s oceans is causing a depletion of some prize fish, such as tuna and swordfish, to the point that some scientists believe that 90% of these big fish populations have been fished out. Jeremy Jackson of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography published a study in 2001 in which he asserts that overfishing is more destructive than toxic pollution or degrading water quality (University of Phoenix, 2007).

Dr. Daniel Pauly, Professor and Director of the University of British Columbia's Fisheries Centre, describes it as follow on The Overfishing. org  (2007) website: “The big fish, the bill fish, the groupers, the big things will be gone. It is happening now. If things go unchecked, we’ll have a sea full of little horrible things that nobody wants to eat. We might end up with a marine junkyard dominated by plankton” (Fishing down the food web, para. 1).

Among the scientific community there is little argument on how to resolve this issue. Research has found that the situation is reversible if addressed now, but states that it will require a change in attitude in how we are using the oceans (University of Phoenix, 2007). To address this issue now, so that we may sustain the world’s big fish population for future generations, we must create a plan of action that includes the following steps (Young Peoples Trust for the Environment, n.. d. ). Begin with quotas on fish. We can base this quota on scientific estimates of which fish are the most severely depleted, and adjustments can be made to the quotas according to reassessments done every few years as we monitor the repletion of the fish populations.

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Larger nets must also be used. As the big fish population has declined, mesh size has gotten smaller. We must increase this back to the original mesh size used perhaps 40 years ago, to allow the smaller fish to escape and continue to grow and breed. International agreements to protect important habitats, such as spawning and nursing grounds of these endangered big fish. Create a system that monitors the catch being brought in by fisheries, and independent fishermen, worldwide. Perhaps assessing severe fines for those caught exceeding the quotas placed on the endangered fish, or fishing in controlled waters, so that the penalty would exceed the expected gain. Educate fishermen on the fact that by following this plan, they are not losing their income but, in fact, helping to preserve their livelihood Most commercial fishermen, such as Pete DuPruis, who owns and operates his own fishing vessel on the Pacific Ocean, will see this as a challenge to their ability to earn a living. DuPruis and his fellow fishermen must be educated to realize that by following the guidelines, we will ensure their livelihood for many years, and the industry for future generations of commercial fishermen.

A presentation should be made mandatory, as part of renewing the commercial fishing license, showing the declining numbers in the big fish groups, and how by following these guidelines, we can sustain their industry and the fish population both. Once made to understand that only through these efforts can the world continue to rely on the ocean’s population as a source of food, and that all fishermen worldwide will be held to the same standards, the fishermen should go along with the management plan, even if not happy about it.

On the other side of the issue, environmentalists should be happy to help implement and provide data for this initiative to restock the world’s big fish population. By putting this plan into practice, we will also resolve the other problems created by over fishing, as it effects not only the depleted fish population, but also the animals for which those fish are food of choice. Whales are turning to sea otters for food, rather than the sea lions and eals on which they normally feed, as those populations also decline. Over fishing has also caused the use, as stated earlier, of smaller mesh nets, increasing the amount of by catch that is caught in the nets. By catch is the seabirds, dolphins, sea turtles, and even whales that are also caught in the net as they drag it in, and are usually dumped back into the ocean, dead or dying. A drastic reduction in the amount of by catch will subsequently occur with the reinstating of the larger mesh nets.

The management plan may cause fishermen to have to look into a second source of income for the first five to ten years, as the most severe restrictions are put into place, giving the fish populations can breed and repopulate, and a reassessment to be done by the scientific community charged with monitoring the big fish groups. Governments might be forced to subsidize the industry for this initial period, to help prevent illegal poaching by some fishermen who saw poaching as their only economic alternative.

Consumers would have to reduce their use of fish, and would have to pay more for the fish they did purchase at the market during this period of regeneration, but the result should be the reduction of prices after the fish populations have been restored. The encouraging news is that, by employing this simple plan for the restoration and future sustainment of our ocean’s big fish populations, we will be able to enjoy them as a food source for the foreseeable future.

References

1. Overfishing - a global disaster. Retrieved November 07,2009 from http://overfishing. org/pages/why_is_overfishing_a_problem. php University of Phoenix. (2007).
2. Declining fish stock vlr. Retrieved November 07,2009 from University of Phoenix, SCI275 - Environmental Science website at https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/axia/sci275/multimedia/video/declinining_fish_stock. htm Young Peoples Trust for the Environment. (n.. d. ).
3. Over fishing. Retrieved November 08,2009 from http://www. ypte. org. uk/environmental/over-fishing/29

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