Overfishing

By Bedros, Yuliya, Miryana 10/8

History of Overfishing

• Earliest overfishing: in the early 1800s– blubber for lamp oil - decline in the whale

population. (5)

• Mid 20th century– international efforts to increase the availability

and affordability of protein-rich foods – led to efforts to increase fishing capacity (5)

• Quadrupled since then (7)

Level of Global Fish Catch

• Total of more than 120 million tons (19)• Total consumption of fish: 110 million

tons– food fish consumption: 80 million tons (19)– industrial products (fish oil): 30 million

tons (20)• Fish catch is sustainable

“Fishing down the food chain”

• Overfishing is destroying a food chain system• No big fish because of overfishing• Many medium fish because nothing eats them• No small fish, all eaten by the many medium fish• Many plankton and algae because there are no small fish to eat

them• A lot of slime will be produced:

– more dead zones– red tides– jellyfish who die and sink to the bottom of the ocean and mix with the

dissolved oxygen while they rot– oxygen-depleted waters

• Nothing can live there except bacteria (the simplest organism) (21)

By-Catch

• The incidental catch of non-target animals during commercial fishing operations (1)– ex: sea turtles, seabirds

• The catch of target animals that are too small and discarded (1)

• A leading factor of the decline of population of marine animals (1)– ex: sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico (1)

• Up to 20 million tons a year (6)

Damaging Methods of Fishing

• Trawls and dredges – Net reaching the bottom with metal mesh to it dragging the sea floor and damaging it. (16)

• Gillnetting- Large nets used to catch a lot of fish. Many times this method results in the killing of sea turtles and other sea creatures. (16)

• Explosives- Dynamite or home made bombs cause shock and kill fish. This destroys many other species and the physical environment. (17)

Video:http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx

Bottom Trawling

• Bottom trawls: – a type of fishing gear, powered by a motor, which

consists of a very big and heavy net, dragged on the seafloor (8)

– Fish for shrimp and finfishes – Some catch 20 pounds of by-catch (9)

• Global impact of trawling: – Most destructive human activity– Hidden until recently– Destroy coral, sponge, fish, etc. populations– Mud clouds (9)

• What are some precautions taken? – In 2005, the General Fisheries Commission for the

Mediterranean banned trawling below 1,000 meter depth

– U.S.A. closed deep-sea areas of Alaska for trawling– In 2006 the UN General Assembly began discussing a

moratorium to ban trawling– South Pacific nations banned all trawling in an area

that amounts for 14% of the Earth (9)

No-Take Zones

• Definition: – “Reserve” or “fully-protected area”– An area that is completely (or

seasonally) free of all (extractive or non-extractive) human uses that contribute impact

– Some exceptions are permitted for scientific/research activities. (4)

• Benefits:– Protect populations of targeted

fish– Prevent overfishing– Restore ecosystems– Increase species diversity – Also benefit outside areas (3)

Impact of Aquaculture

• Disappearing predators up to 90% because people love to eat them.

Examples: Tuna, Swordfish and Marlin(18)

• Collapse in certain areas of cod industry because of lacking fishes that have been damaged by overfishing.

Example: Cod fishery off Newfoundland, Canada causing the loss of jobs for 40 000. (18)

Bluefin Tuna

• Bluefin tuna facts: – Atlantic tuna is amongst the biggest (up to 3m)

and fastest– Warm-blooded for cold waters– Tens of thousands of dollars per one fish– North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Black Sea (10)

• Fishing for tuna:– The Sharp Cup in Nova Scotia: 1,760 fish in 1949 – Giant tuna trophy– Gained popularity with Japanese specialty market

in 1970– Since 1960: 97% decline (10)

• Ecology and preservation: – International Commission for the Conservation of

Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)– The Mediterranean: EU veto – Strict measurements to prevent illegal fishing (10)

Cod

• Cod Facts (15) – Small, smooth scales; heavy body; colors range from gray and green to brown,even red. – Lives in the ocean’s bottom layers in cold waters.

• 2000 year- Newfoundland, Canada there was 97% decrease in number of cods since the population in 1990 (15)

• April 24th 2003: ban on cod fishing in order to save the remaining of the population (15)

Works Cited1. “GulfBase - Overfishing and Bycatch." GulfBase - Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico Research. Web. 05 June 2010. <http://www.gulfbase.org/issue/view.php?iid=oab>.2. "Marine Fish Catch Statistics - Countries Compared - NationMaster." NationMaster - World Statistics, Country Comparisons. Web. 05 June 2010.

<http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/env_mar_fis_cat-environment-marine-fish-catch>.3. "Marine No-take Zone Rapidly Benefits Endangered Penguin — Biology Letters." Biology Letters. Web. 05 June 2010.

<http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/02/04/rsbl.2009.0913.abstract>.4. "No-take Zone." NMFS-RTR Program @ VT. Web. 05 June 2010. <http://www.nmfs.vt.edu/case_studies/mpa/glossary.php#glossn>.5. “Overfishing -- National Geographic." The Ocean -- National Geographic. Web. 5 June 2010. <http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-overfishing/>.6. "Ocean Facts." Save the Sea / Committed to save the Sea and Protect Our Environment. Web. 05 June 2010. <http://www.savethesea.org/STS ocean_facts.htm>.7. Owen, James. "Overfishing Is Emptying World's Rivers, Lakes, Experts Warn." Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines | National Geographic News. 01 Dec. 2005.

Web. 05 June 2010. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1201_051201_overfishing.html>.8. "What Is a Bottom Trawl?" Www.mcbi.org. Web. 6 June 2010. <http://www.mcbi.org/what/what_pdfs/What_%20is_a_Bottom_Trawl.pdf>.9. "Visible from Space Bottom Trawling Impacts." EurekAlert! - Science News. Web. 06 June 2010. <http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/s-bti021508.php>.10. "Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus Thynnus." MarineBio.org - Marine Biology, Ocean Life Conservation, Sea Creatures, Biodiversity, Oceans Research... Web. 06 June 2010.

<http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=236>.11. "Fishing Methods." Welcome to Fishonline. Web. 05 June 2010. <http://www.fishonline.org/information/methods/>.12. "Habitat Damage." Web. <http://www.circleofresponsibility.com/page/296/habitat-damage.htm>.13. "Solutions to Challenges Facing The Great Barrier: Over-Fishing, Blooming, and Global Warming: GreenJoyment Brings You Green Living. Solar, Wind, Geothermal and

Simple Steps for Going Green." GreenJoyment: Enjoy A Green Lifestyle And Have Fun Helping The Environment. Web. 05 June 2010. <http://www.greenjoyment.com/the-great-barrier-reef-global-warming-over-fishing-and-pollu.html>.

14. "Aquascope|Facts|Cod." Vattenkikaren. Web. 06 June 2010. <http://www.vattenkikaren.gu.se/fakta/arter/chordata/teleoste/gadumorh/gadumoe.html>.15. "CBC News Indepth: Fishing." CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV. Web. 06 June 2010.

<http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/fishing/cod.html>.16. "Fishing Methods| Monterey Bay Aquarium." Monterey Bay Aquarium, California. Web. 13 June 2010.

<http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx>.17. “Fishing Techniques." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 13 June 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_techniques>.18. "Overfishing | Greenpeace International." Greenpeace | Greenpeace USA. Web. 13 June 2010. <http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/overfishing/?

tab=0>.19. Ye, Yimin. "HISTORICAL CONSUMPTION AND FUTURE DEMAND FOR FISH AND FISHERY PRODUCTS." 1999. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED

NATIONS. 12 June 2010 <ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/005/x3216e/X3216E00.pdf>.20. "Marine Fisheries, Population and Consumption: Science and PolicyIssues." AAAS - The World's Largest General Scientific Society. Web. 13 June 2010.

<http://www.aaas.org/international/ehn/fisheries/speer.htm>.21. YouTube - Overfishing - The consequences. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 13 June 2010 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxacxShp3LY>.

Pictures:http://picasaweb.google.com/clairechristian47/NewAlbum121108329PM?authkey=Gv1sRgCIbtmMOvja25cw&feat=flashslideshow#5278636756773584130http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/06/06/article-0-053D172C000005DC-837_468x562.jpghttp://images.google.bg/imgres?imgurl=http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_full/international/seafood/understanding-the-problem/fisheries-problems-today/beam-trawling.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.greenpeace.org/international//seafood/understanding-the-problem/fisheries-

problems-today/beam-trawling&usg=__Iimx69QB847zSj0ur2KedVBh9no=&h=584&w=430&sz=57&hl=bg&start=4&itbs=1&tbnid=RCjvnHbcduWqjM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbeam%2Btrawl%26hl%3Dbg%26sa%3DX%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1http://www.coralcoe.org.au/research-tools/qpwstalks/NO-TAKE%20ZONES.pdfhttp://www.afsc.noaa.gov/race/images/cod.jpghttp://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/photos/oceans-overfishing/#fish-net_158_600x450.jpghttp://scienceline.org/_s/files/2009/03/fishmarket.jpeghttp://www.fishingfury.com/ff-content/explosivefishing.jpghttp://www.midcurrent.com/images/tomes_retrieve_3.jpghttp://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/External/image/2005/11/this-spectacular-squid-is-disc.jpg