By: Ava Sergio
Photo From: Vegan Food & Living
Many of the fishing industry’s issues occur far from the eye of regulators and consumers: out at sea. If the fishing industry is not sufficiently limited or controlled, global fish populations will collapse, and entire species will be lost.
What is overfishing?
Overfishing is when vessels catch fish faster than the fish stocks can replenish themselves. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has estimated that the number of overfished stocks globally has tripled in half a century. They also state that “one-third of the world’s assessed fisheries are currently pushed beyond their biological limits.”
What are the key problems with the fishing industry that are causing overfishing?
Photo From: Wikipedia
There are many problems that surround fishing regulations. Firstly, there is simply a lack of adequate limitations and rules that limit fishing capacity to a sustainable level. Secondly, there is a lack of enforcement of the regulations that do exist. This is particularly the case for the high seas, where there are few international fishing regulations. WWF estimates that illegal fishing generates up to $36.4 billion each year.
Another large issue is the misregulation of Flag of Convenience vessels (FoC). These ships fly the flag of a country other than the one that owns it. Workers onboard tend to have very low wages and poor living conditions. Places such as the EU, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan (China), are failing to restrict fishing companies from owning and operating FoC vessels or are not inspecting these ships landing at their ports. This allows for illegal, unreported, unregulated, and unsustainable fishing to perpetuate.
Additionally, there are far few Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). MPAs are regions of ocean that are legally protected to conserve marine species, habitats and ecosystems. They are typically managed by the country whose coast borders the area of water. According to WWF, only 1.2% of the world’s oceans have been declared MPAs, and 90% of those MPAs are open to fishing. Protected areas are supposed to be zones where fishing is banned or strictly regulated, providing fish populations space to mature and reproduce to keep population numbers at a reasonable level. The current lack of protection globally is especially worrisome for fish spawning grounds and the deep sea, two areas that are particularly vulnerable to overfishing.
What are the effects of overfishing?
Photo From: Reef Conservation International
One of the most concerning effects of overfishing is bycatch. It is the result of unsustainable fishing practices that are used to meet the growing demand for seafood worldwide, and is defined as any marine life that is captured by a fishing vessel that was not the intended species. Animals that are often caught as bycatch are sea turtles, sharks, and whales. Although these species are not being overfished, they have still experienced drastic declines in population numbers as a result of overfishing.
The importance of the fishing industry from an economic perspective cannot be ignored, as fishing is the main livelihood for millions of people globally. Additionally, fish ranks as one of the most highly traded food commodities and fuels a $362 billion global industry (WWF). When this food source disappears, so does jobs, coastal economies, and a main source of protein for about 3 billion people.
Photo From: ThatFishBlog
Ghost fishing is another effect of illegal overfishing, where nets, gear, and other fishing tools are dumped into the ocean. This most often occurs because the tools have either served their purpose or illegal fishermen want to get rid of the evidence. The littered gear entangles marine life of all sizes and can be fatal, hence the name ghost fishing. A single discarded fishing net can continue to kill for centuries.
What does sustainable fishing mean?
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) describes sustainable fishing as “leaving enough fish in the ocean, respecting habitats and ensuring people who depend on fishing can maintain their livelihoods.” It also includes ensuring the ecosystems being fished are able to continue to operate at stable levels to support their entire variety of life. Sustainable fishing means using this valuable resource responsibly.
Where in the world has the most unsustainable fishing?
The most unsustainable fisheries were found to be in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Southeast Pacific Ocean, and the Southwest Atlantic Ocean (Mongabay, 2018). Particular emphasis is put on the Mediterranean and Black Sea that were recently deemed by FAO to be the world’s most overfished seas. They found that in the Mediterranean Sea, 62% percent of its fish stocks are overfished and are at serious risk of being depleted. Smaller fish such as sardines and anchovies are harvested from the sea as well as tuna, mussels, shrimp, squid, sea bream, sea bass, and many more.
What is sustainable fishing?
Photo From: WowPlus.Net
On the consumer level, an impactful action is purchasing sustainable seafood, which entail MSC-certified products that are sourced legally from sustainable sources. The Marine Stewardship Council independently assess fisheries against three main principles: sustainable fish stocks, minimizing environmental impact, and effective fisheries management.
The UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 also pushes for a transition to sustainable fishing by calling for effective regulation of fish harvests, science-based management plans to restore stocks, and an end to overfishing, illegal fishing, and other destructive practices.
Photo from: National Geographic
In the Philippines, the Tagbanua people use fishing practices that simultaneously harvest and maintain fish populations. Tagbanuas fish for specific species only during certain times of the year, which allows for fish stocks to replenish. They have also marked coral reefs as protected spots where fishing is prohibited and use a hook-and-line method to fish. This method ensures that they catch only what they need. Sadly, of course, it is much harder to adapt these practices to a much larger scale to feed the global demand for seafood.
The world’s oceans provide us with an invaluable resource that needs to be protected. Fisheries management requires more rigorous regulations and more marine protected areas need to be created. These changes will help reduce the amount of overfishing and allow coastal communities to thrive.
Discussion Questions:
Do you think that reducing the amount of seafood you consume will help stop overfishing? Do you believe that change on the individual level or industry level is more impactful?
Where in the world do you think would suffer the most if the fishing industry were to collapse?