Overfishing

The hidden issue causing the death of the ocean’s ecosystem

What is Overfishing?

Overfishing?

Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally, resulting in the species becoming increasingly underpopulated in that area. Overfishing can impact entire ecosystems. It can change the size of fish remaining, as well as how they reproduce and the speed at which they mature. When too many fish are taken out of the ocean it creates an imbalance that can erode the food web and lead to a loss of other important marine life, including vulnerable species like sea turtles and corals. Demand for fish continues to increase around the world, and that means more businesses and jobs are dependent on dwindling stocks.

How Does It Happen?

Subsidies, or support provided to the fishing industry to offset the costs of doing business, are a key driver of overfishing. Subsidies can lead to overcapacity of fishing vessels and skewing of production costs so that fishing operations continue when they would otherwise not make economic sense. Some of the world’s richest nations continue to pay billions to keep lagging fishing industries afloat through fishing subsidies. This scale of subsidization is a huge incentive to

expand fishing fleets and overfish. Systemic overfishing is only made worse by illegal catches and trade. In fact, some of the worst ocean impacts are caused by pervasive illegal fishing, which is estimated at up to 30% of catch or more for high-value species. Experts estimate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing nets criminals up to £30.8 billion each year. These illegal catches move through opaque supply chains due to a lack of systems to track fish from catch to

consumer—something called traceability—and import controls in much of the sector.

Fish ranks as one of the most highly traded food commodities and fuels a £304 billion global industry. When fish disappear, so do jobs and coastal economies. High demand for seafood continues to drive overexploitation and environmental degradation which has a large impact on what we consume and how much longer we will be able to use the ocean as a resource for food and other needs.

Where Does It Happen?

About a third of global stocks are overfished—and the overall proportion of fish stocks at sustainable levels has continued to decline. The FAO report says this deterioration of fish stocks can particularly be seen “in places where fisheries management is not in place, or is

ineffective.” Of the areas the organisation monitors, the Mediterranean and Black Sea had the highest percentage of stocks — 62.5 percent —fished at unsustainable levels. One global survey found that in 2018 nations spent $22 billion on so-called harmful subsidies that

fuel overfishing—a 6 percent rise from 2009. China, for example, has increased its harmful subsidies by 105 percent over the past decade. The UK fisheries audit released by the largest international advocacy organisation dedicated solely to ocean conservation,

Oceana, paints a disturbing picture of the state of UK fish stocks. Only 36% (just over 1/3) of the 104 audited stocks were known to be healthy in terms of stock size and only 38% (just over 1/3) sustainably exploited.

Of the top 10 most economically important fish stocks

for the UK, 6 are overfished or their stock biomass is at a critical level:

North Sea cod North Sea herring

Southern North Sea crab

Eastern English Channel scallops

North East Atlantic blue whiting North Sea whiting

Therefore, only 3 of the top 10 stocks upon which the UK fishing industry relies are both healthy and sustainably exploited: North East Atlantic mackerel, North Sea haddock and West of Scotland Nephrops. In addition, about 7090% of the landings by volume of the

‘top ten’ fish stocks come from Scottish vessels. Overfishing is not limited to the ocean; it can happen in any body of water. Some of the earliest overfishing occurred in the early nineteenth century when humans, destroyed.

Trawling In The Mediterranean

The Mediterranean is the world’s most overfished sea, with the highest percentage of unsustainably harvested fish populations, according to a recent report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. Increasing human activity is endangering these ecosystems.

90 percent of Mediterranean fish populations are now harvested in excess of science-based recommendations. The most commercially important species, including European hake, red mullet and anglerfish, are exploited 10 times over suggested limits.

“Trawling affects a lot of species like a hoover and this has an impact on us, small- scale fishers, I see a lot of difference in the past 10 years, and I think there needs to be something done before it’s too late.”

Mediterranean

Bottom trawling is another widespread problem in the Mediterranean.

Large, heavy nets are towed along the seafloor, acting like ocean bulldozers that can wipe out everything in their way.

Trawling can cause irreversible damage to sensitive habi

habitats that fish and shellfish rely on for breeding, spawning and nurseries. This can hamper the recovery of depleted fish stocks.

Trawling is also wasteful. It is estimated that it generates as much as half of all discarded fish and marine

die and are tossed overboard. Undersized hake and red mullet, which live and feed near the bottom, make up 60 percent of bycatch for Mediterranean trawlers. These fish never have a chance to grow and reproduce, risking damage to the

Industrial trawlers also cause habitat loss. Corals, sponges and seagrasses are particularly vulnerable. Some Mediterranean seagrass beds, have already disappeared.

What Are The Statistics?

We are draining oceans of seafood at an alarming rate, with devastating consequences for marine ecosystems and the billions of people who rely on fish as a primary source of protein. The world’s oceans could virtually be emptied for fish by 2048 due to overfishing.

A study shows that if nothing changes, we will run out of seafood for normal consumption in 2048. If we want to preserve the ecosystems of the sea, change is needed.

A four-year study of 7,800 marine species concludes that the long-term trend is clear and predictable.

A four-year study of 7,800 marine species concludes that the long-term trend is clear and predictable. 80% of the world’s fisheries are already fully exploited, over-exploited, depleted, or in a state of collapse. Worldwide, 90% of the stocks of large predatory fish, are gone.

Fishing today is dominated by a gigantic modern fishing fleet with enough fishing capacity to cover 4 Earth-like planets. It far out-matches the ocean’s ability to renew the number of fish we consume. The world has produced more than 9 billion tons of plastic ince production took off in the 1950s.

That’s more than a ton for every living person on the planet. An astonishing amount of plastic ends up in the oceans. So much that if current trends continue the total weight of the plastic in the ocean could be higher than the total weight of all the ocean’s fish by 2050. The development is driven by

increased demand for seafood caused by a growing world population - and in particular a growing world population of consumers. There is no way the oceans can sustain the growing demand from a growing world population unless major changes take place. Establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) and

More than 50% of import s are from developing countries

The Effect On The Ocean

The number of overfished stocks globally has tripled in half a century and today onethird of the world’s assessed fisheries are currently pushed beyond their biological limits, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Overfishing is closely tied to bycatch—the capture of unwanted sea life while fishing for

a different species. This, too, is a serious marine threat that causes the needless loss of billions of fish, along with hundreds of thousands of sea turtles and cetaceans. More than onethird of all sharks, rays, and chimaeras are now at risk of extinction because of overfishing, according to a new study re-assessing their IUCN Red List of Threatened

Species extinction risk status.

In 2003, a scientific report estimated that industrial fishing had reduced the number of large ocean fish to just 10 percent of their pre-industrial population.

Sea turtles, dolphins, sea birds, sharks, and other animals have all faced and continue to face existential threats to their population as bycatch.

Overfishing also threatens the whales. Scientists working with the International Whaling Commission estimate that 300,000 cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) die each year by entanglement in different fishing gear. Over the past 50 years, even as whaling itself has been banned in most of the world, overfishing has impacted killer whale

populations. That’s because the availability of prey is a critical factor in determining the long-term population viability of apex predators like killer whales. Fishing out too many herbivores— whether intentionally or as bycatch— can weaken reefs and make them more susceptible to being ravaged by extreme weather events and climate change.

Fishing equipment and debris can also physically destroy the fragile corals that make up the reef foundations. This leads to reefs becoming fragile and eventually breaking away, having an affect on every aspect of the ocean’s ecosystem by removing a safe habitat and mating environment for some of the smallest species at the bottom of the food chain.

It’s Up To you

Reduce food waste and learn better ways to cook and store seafood

Choose certified sustainable seafood

Seafood with the blue fish tick can be traced back to a sustainable fishery.

By being mindful and planning your meals for the week, lowering portion sizes, being creative with our cooking and storing and labelling our food in the fridge or freezer, you can cut down on waste.

Share real news

Before sharing, ask yourself: Is this based on science? Is the source credible and independent? Is it really that simple, or is there more to it?

Encourage the next generation to think and act sustainably

Sharing ocean sustainability teacher resources can give teachers the confidence to talk about oceans and sustainable fishing in an interactive and engaging way that will really get young minds thinking.

Donate to help fund work in under-resourced regions

This allows small-scale fisheries and fisheries in the developing world to improve their environmental performance in a stepwise approach.

Commission or draw from existing research to improve ocean understanding

Use resources to further your understanding and ensure that you aren’t misinformed when spreading information.