Visualizing the extent of over-fishing

[TellyFish]

Humans are animals, and we are predictably greedy. Lets make this into a good thing and it can become our leverage. Our mechanism for change if you will.

Perhaps if aquaculture advanced to a point that it becomes cheaper to harvest captive fish than to catch wild fish, it would no longer make sense to fish for anything than your own supper?

 

[doctorgori]

rent "End of the Line" ...I'm told its similar...
(I didn't watch it as this sort of subject matter is too depressing for me)

...next thing you know it will be "Tuesday" and acording to Charleton Heston: "Tuesday is Soylent Yellow Day" .....
Bring on the Scoops!!!

 

[speakupforblue]

Great discussion here!!!
I have to contribute to it. Here it goes:

Human population growth does add pressure to the food availability in general, which gives birth to increased fishing (i.e. over-fishing); the birth of genetically modified food; and, increased use of pesticides to ensure the gorwth and survival of food crops. There are many other problems caused by human population growth; however, I would like to concentrate on over-fishing considering I am a marine ecologist.

Over-fishing is a huge problem, there is no dount. But let's take a look at the major affects of over-fishing:
1) Changes the ocean habitat community - meaning the large fish (sharks, tuna, grouper, cod) that once dominated the fish communities around the world are depleting quickly due to their size and taste causing the dynamic of the fish community to change altering food webs and degrading habitat (I'm talking about trawling right now).;

2) Bycatch becomes a major problem - Other fish and species (including threatened species) are caught along with the targeted species (the species people want to eat) causing them to die or critically injured. Catching non-targeted species on a long line will cause less targeted species to be caught, which inturn, will increase the amount of time a fisherman will fish. Instead of setting out a trawl or long line only once, he/she will do it more than once because there aren't enough targeted fish caught. This will result in more bycatch during a vicious cycle.; and,

3) Habitat destruction - Trawls mostly run along the bottom of the Ocean to catch fish. Well, the habitat on the bottom of the Ocean is destroyed when a trawl net is dragged along. Loss of habitat could mean a los of shelter, spawning grounds, and food resources for other fish.

These problems can be solved. Marine Protected Areas have proven to be a great tool, once impolemented and enforced properly to protect fish and habitat. Other tools such as variations in fishing gear can help reduce bycatch. Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) are great for making sure Sea Turtles don't get caught in shrimp nets (when used properly) and the circle hook is a great device that allows marine mammals (whales and dolphins) to wiggle themselves off a hook in case they bite doen on some easy prey.

My point is to implement the tools out there that are available to decrease our effect on fish communities and the Ocean. Let's see how effective they are and move from there. It's easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom of marine conservation; however, the only way to change is to listen, learn, and act.

Just my 3 cents!

Andrew

 

[Jakekm]

That graphic confuses me slightly. Are the areas displayed in white an inconclusive reading i.e, of less than 3 tons, or are they areas that haven't been sampled?

 

[havnmonkey]

I am a pessimist... but I'd like to be optimistic.

I am a pessimist... but I'd like to be optimistic.

1st post, but this is a topic that is important to me.

The answer to our problem is Manifest Destiny. It is the one thing that humans possess that no other animal does. We are the only creature on the planet that possess it, because we created it.

I haven't consumed a bottle of water in 8 months, not because of the plastic bottle... But because the water is a right not a commodity to profit on. And I don't preach that; every time I am offered a bottle I decline and say " No thanks, I'll have a glass of water please." This sparks a brief conversation and they then make the choice themselves to continue drinking from the bottle. All of them continue to drink bottled water.

The UN has received many studies that show the rapid decline of the Blue Fin Tuna, it has received many recommendations by scientists on how to halt the inevitable extinction of the species. It has received required quotas to accomplish this goal and it has discarded those numbers. It has arbitrarily created quotas two to three times what is necessary to merely sustain the current population. Then it doesn't inforce those quotas either. The profit fleets are free to reap what they can catch and sell.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries mission is to acquire enough frozen tuna stock to control the price (profit) once the species is extinct. There goal is to make money off of the extinction of a species. Mitsubishi is not run by a few greedy businessmen, it is run by millions of share holders that are only concerned about a positive investment return.

Shark finning, long line fishing, whaling, trawling, and massive floating factories with the capability to wipe out an entire school in one catch.... These industries are profit driven; they are the "jobs" that our politicians sweat to protect for reelection. Millions of ordinary world citizens have stake in these companies, almost a fullproof guaratee that there will be no change whatsoever.

Unless someone can cite it; I have never heard of an largescale example where morality, ethics, or reason triumphed over profit.


P.S. hello everyone!

 

[RichConley]

An interesting point, Dave. Perhaps there ought to be a higher expectation for human behavior because we are exceedingly clever primates, able to conceptualize consequences and understand the complex and vital connections among life forms. We have sophisticated language systems and are able to store and transmit information, and have the ability to make deductions regarding the future and evaluate data in a systematic manner. There are also aesthetic and ethical dimensions that seem to be exclusively human. We are almost certainly the only life form that has an awareness of our suicidal activities. The continuation of these activities and our willful refusal to confront unpleasant reality is reprehensible in a way not shared by any other life form.

The problem is, our ability to lie to ourselves when the truth is in opposition to our beliefs, or runs counter to our investments, greatly exceeds our intelligence.