Overfishing- a Global Threat
“Many men go on fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not the fish they are after.” This is a quote by Henry David Thoreau that talks about one of the global issues-Overfishing. It highlights that aquatic organisms are being caught at an alarming rate, and although overfishing is providing food, comfort, and useful chemicals, it is taking away the lives of fish that could have the potential to feed future generations. The quote is sending a deep message by referring to marine-based industries as men and the destruction of homosapians due to overfishing in the future.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, on average, 77 million tonnes of fish are caught every year for commercial profit, livelihood, and food consumption. However, overfishing can result from various reasons. Firstly, the biggest driving factor is the increase in human population. From the year 2000 to 2026, the population has grown by about .15 billion due to advancements in the medical field, weak regulation, etc resulting in greater demand for food and causing overfishing. Furthermore, there has been technological advancement in the method of catching fish so a large number of fish are caught. In addition, many industries catch specific aquatic organisms, so the non-targeted fish (bycatch) in the fishing net are wasted, leading to overfishing.
The issue has detrimental impacts on both aquatic organisms and human populations. Overfishing has led to a significant decrease in the fish population, by which other organisms involved in the aquatic food web are severely affected. Especially sharks and polar bears, which largely depend on fish, have seen their populations decline. Also, the phytoplankton on which the fish rely has increased in amount, causing other issues like eutrophication. Organisms like Chinese paddlefish have gone extinct due to overfishing and roughly 1000 species are on the edge of getting extinct. Since young fish are caught before they can breed, one of the future impacts is the food depletion the world is going to face. About 20%ofthe food comes from the ocean, and this can potentially decrease in the future.
Overfishing is not irreparable; instead, with collaborative actions from both the government and individuals, the issue can gradually be mitigated. There are several actions which can be implemented to reduce the issue of overfishing. The most important one is setting up quotas. Quotas are specific limits under which an industry or a country catches fish. This will ensure that humans are getting food but the fishery shock is also maintained. There are some periods in the seasons where many aquatic organisms breed. Implementing closed seasons during those periods will ensure minimal or no fish catching so that the marine population can naturally replenish. The young fish will breed and marine food web will be maintained. Moreover, there are many marine-based industries and individuals which illegally catch fishes for commercial profit and livelihood. The government can give subsidies or can provide alternate employment so that the fishing can be mitigated. Also, with the help of technology, the size of the fishing net can be modified to reduce the bycatch. Some organisations also grow fish through aquaculture in artificial water bodies so there is very little dependency on the ocean, reducing the issue.
On the whole, overfishing is a dangerous issue which can exponentially grow if not regulated. Oceans are a potential resource, and if its resources are kept being exploited then it will no longer be able to sustain future generations. Therefore with sustainable fish catching, both the aquatic stock and food demand for the human population will be maintained.
