Saving The Seas: Causes and Solutions to Overfishing

Overfishing is not only the topic for the essay, but an important current global issue that is happening in all seas around the world. As fishing is one of my hobbies I often go for a fish and lately I have been noticing each time I go there are less and less fish and they are getting progressively smaller. I have chosen this topic because in my opinion overfishing is a big issue that people overlooked and is one that has a big effect on lots of people. I am going to look at three questions surrounding this issue. What is the cause or reason for overfishing? At what rate will we have overfished if we haven’t already? What solutions are there to this issue? These questions will help me understand what the actual reason for overfishing, how quickly it is happening and what we can do to help the issue. In my opinion overfishing is an unexpectable issue that is harming our environment, fish species and humans and action needs to happen to prevent it from getting worse.

What is the Cause or Reason for Overfishing?

I have chosen this question because it will help me fully understand the cause of the issue, not just the effect it has. According to Earth times “Environmental issues article it shows that fishing fleets (fishing boats) around the world are 5 times as big as then what is actually necessary to catch fish in the ocean, in fact fishing fleets have the capacity to cover 4 planets that are the size of the earth and another reason for overfishing is that these already oversized fleets are using illegal and unsustainable fishing methods to haul up the fish”. To me these facts are shocking and worrying because it doesn’t look like people are doing anything to eat less fish and the commercial fisherman are certainly not looking like they are going to stop or reduce. I think the commercial fishing companies using fleets 5 times oversized is really unnecessary considering they don’t to be oversized and they have the capacity to cover 4 times what actually is needed and, in my opinion,, something needs to be changed in order to stop or reduce this issue. There are a few solutions to try reducing the problem and the first one would be top try enforce laws around banning oversize fleets, major fines and punishment for exceeding limits and for dumping fish and also banning illegal fishing methods and putting fines and punishment if caught using methods. These solutions would be ideal but being honest are out of our control considering they are legal laws and would need to be implemented by authorities but there are things we can do to help reduce overfishing, these are; reduce consumption of fish in our diets or boycott buying endangered species this would cause commercial fishing companies to be over producing and not selling which would hopefully makes them stop or reduce the amount being caught.

The second reason for overfishing comes the website called world ocean review an article called causes of overfishing. According to the article it says 'There is economic incentives for overfishing. The economic cost of fishing is underestimated causing more fish to be caught than economically and environmentally sensible also there is a strong incentive for individual fisherman to deploy to increase individual personal earnings with 10 billion USD is payed to fisherman every year and lastly there is around 90 billion dollars’ worth of fish caught a year'. These figures are shocking. From this evidence I think that a main reason or cause for this overfishing is because the cost of fishing is to low and that the incentives for companies and individual employees are too high and I think there is too much money involved in the fish market every year and it is too easy of a money maker and that is why everyone is doing it causing the issue of overfishing. I think the solution to overcome this is to stop buying fish and consuming it this will hopefully mean that the commercial companies will not be making as much and again like I said in the previous paragraph hopefully reduce amount being caught.

At What Rate Will We Have Overfished If We Haven’t Already?

According to the spin off on an article called NZ is running out of fish it says that fish numbers around the world have been declining because the industrial scale fishing activity is overfishing faster than nature can replace. “Since 2003 32 percent of fish stocks worldwide have collapsed completely and a further 39 percent are described as overfished” and by 2048 currently we are on track to have no fish in our seas. From these facts my conclusions are that overfishing is happening a lot quicker and our seas are depleting a lot faster than we think and this is a major problem. A solution to help reduce this would be getting more information out and letting people know how bad the issue is to help reduce it.

The second article is from the guardian.com in an article called global fish production is approaching sustainable limit. According to the article 'Currently 90 percent of the world stocks fully overfished and by 2025 it is expected to be increased by 17 percent and overfishing of fish has tripled since the 1970 with 40 percent of species being caught unsustainably'. My conclusions from this article are similar to the paragraph above that the issue is a very serious one and we are underestimating how bad the issue really is and something needs to be done. Another solution to reduce the problem would be teach the younger people in the generation below how serious the issue is and tell them ways to help cut back so that when they are older there will still be fish left in the sea for them. 

What Solutions are There to This Issue? 

One of the most effective solutions is to implement and enforce sustainable fishing practices. This can include setting catch limits for specific fish species, closing certain areas to fishing, and using more selective fishing gear to minimize bycatch. Additionally, the use of marine protected areas, where fishing is restricted or prohibited, can help to protect vulnerable fish populations and marine habitats.

Another solution is to improve the management and regulation of the fishing industry. This can include implementing better monitoring and enforcement of fishing regulations, as well as creating a traceability system to track fish from the point of catch to the consumer. Furthermore, increasing transparency and accountability in the fishing industry, will help to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Another solution is to invest in more sustainable fishing technologies, such as the development of aquaculture, which can help to reduce pressure on wild fish populations. Furthermore, encouraging and supporting the consumption of fish species that are considered to be sustainable and promoting the use of alternative protein sources can also help to reduce overfishing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, overfishing is a serious problem that has a wide range of negative consequences. However, there are a number of solutions that can help to address this problem. Implementing sustainable fishing practices, improving the management and regulation of the fishing industry, investing in sustainable fishing technologies, and encouraging sustainable consumption are all effective ways to reduce the impacts of overfishing.