Economical and Environmental Consequences of Overfishing - Essay Example

?Overfishing Introduction Fishing is an economic activity that supports the livelihood of about 200 million people especially in the developing world. Fish is a finite resource and a source of proteins to one person out of every five. Today, overfishing is a global disaster whereby human beings engage in catching so much adult fish that the population left cannot replenish itself. This kind of fishing is in both commercial and non-commercial levels but in both cases it is done with high intensity that reduce the breeding stock levels which can even cause fish extinction. Despite the increased knowledge on pros and cons of fish extinction, the problem is still escalating. The problem of overfishing has its roots in human activities. Human beings have the mandate of taking care of its environments but in most cases, they do not do it. Human activities increase carbon emissions, which is a root cause of the problem is acidification of our seas. According to United Nations Environment as quoted in Ecocentric times, increasing carbon emissions has found its way in our oceans and the PH balance is no longer the same. Although only a few species like the crabs, corals, and shellfish will be greatly affected by acidification of the seas, a broken ecosystem balance will also affect the fish and hence food security (Walsh Web). It is worth noting, with interest, that all forms of life are interdependent and that extinction of one form of life threatens the survival of the rest of the ecosystem either directly or indirectly. On a global scale, the world has enough fish to cater for all its inhabitants and three other planets like earth. This means that the problem is not with less fish in our oceans. According to Koster, “Worldwide, fishing fleets are two to three times as large as needed to take present day catches of fish and other marine species and as what our oceans can support” (Koster, 2011, p.1). This means that the problem is in our fishing methods that are quite unsustainable. For instance in many developing countries, unselective fishing practices are in use, which have a large impact with the functioning of marine ecosystems. Non-target fish and other marine species find their ways in the fishing nets where they die. Another contributing factor to overfishing is the high demand for fish as a source of protein with the anglers lacking prior knowledge of how to balance it. Statistics shows that for every five persons, one depends on fish as a source of protein. Monterey Bay Aquarium foundation as quoted in Sea the Sea website clearly shows a great rise in fishing volumes. It is claimed, “Between 1950 and 1994, total fish caught increased by 400% and this increased in subsequent years” (Sea-the Sea, Web). UN Food and Agricultural Organisation statistics as quoted in Overfishing website depicts that there is no proper balance of fishing habits. That is “52% of fish fully exploited, 20% moderately exploited, 17% overexploited, 7% depleted, and 1% recovering from depletion” (Koster, 2011, p.1). At times overfishing is caused by corrupt activities of the managers of the seas who fully aware of the stress in our seas allow fishing. First, overfishing is a problem since economically fishing is an activity that supports so many livelihoods who earn a living from it. According to a UN website, “200 million people in the world depend on fishing worldwide” (Natal, 2006, P.1). Overfishing means that we are risking such millions of people loosing their ways of earning a living. This is because fish is a finite resource that deplete overtime especially if the stocks of fish left cannot replenish themselves. Secondly, overfishing destroys the normal ecosystem flow of marine species. This occurs after extinction of one or more species that depend on the other for survival, which means that extinction of one or more fish species will adversely affect other sea species or even cause their extinction too. Sea lions, Fur seals, otters, and birds represent a number of species that suffer because of overfishing. Thirdly, overfishing causes deficiency in some fish components that are essential in growth of human beings. Such components include omega 3, omega6, and fats in fish. This results to poor health in those people who depended on fish for their protein supplies. Fourthly, fishing is an activity that supports the economy of a country. Overfishing may cause a deficit to an economy that is supported by it. For instance, “the cod fishery off Newfoundland, Canada collapsed in 1992, leading to the loss of some 40,000 jobs in the industry” (Greenpeace, 2012, P.1) The problem of overfishing can end anytime because it is man made. The government must come up with ways of educating anglers fishing in the waters that surround their states. The education will cover on sustainable methods of fishing that care for the marine habitat and non-target fish species. Proper reviews will enable the anglers to understand better which nets to use where and what to avoid when fishing. In addition, all anglers must understand the impacts of their improper decisions that may cause loss of their only livelihood affecting the economy of their respective countries. The government must detail with corruption in all areas of marine life. This will curb illegal fishing activities that lead to overfishing Everyone has a part to play to curb overfishing. It all stats with changing our eating habits a little bit to care for the environment. In fact, fish is quite expensive than the rest of the proteins and so should be substituted occasionally especially when the seas have closed fishing activities. Although aquaculture industry is working hard to bridge the gap between the demand and the supply of fish in the world, more people need to team up with it. In addition, more entities and individuals can join Seafood Choices non-governmental organisation. This website promotes information sharing and collaboration, setting the vision for sustainability for the seafood industry and conservation community (Mark, 2012, P.1) Conclusion Overfishing is a serious problem that can cause loss of livelihood to many people who depend on fishing. A country may suffer economically too as its income is adversely affected. Overfishing is a man made problem that started by destruction of habitat through increased carbon emissions depleting marine species. This followed by poor methods of fishing ensure the right stocks of fish to replenish the population are not available. The government and various NGO need to intervene to curb the problem before it causes more harm. Works Cited Walsh, B 2010, “Oceans: From Climate Change to Overfishing, Bad News for the Deep Blues” Ecocentric News, viewed 28 April 2012. Koster, P 2011, Overfishing, Viewed 28 April 2012, Halpem 2003, “Overfishing” Sea-the-Sea, Natal, N 2006 “Overfishing: a threat to marine biodiversity” UN.Org, Viewed on 28 April 2012, Greenpeace 2012, “Overfishing,” Viewed on 28 April 2012, Marks, J 2012, “Leading voices for a healthy ocean” Sea Web, Viewed on 28 April 2012, Read More