By Elizabeth Flatley
Fishing, one of the most significant causes of decline in ocean wildlife populations, has been around for around 40,000 years. Catching fish proves innocent intentions and is not necessarily bad for the ocean, except for when large fishing boats catch fish faster than they can reproduce and replenish: overfishing. The amount of overfished stocks around the world has tripled in 50 years and today completely one-third of the planet’s estimated fisheries are currently pushed beyond their biological limits according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Overfishing is similarly related to bycatch, the capture of unwanted marine life while fishing for a different species. Along with overfishing, bycatch is a serious sea life threat that makes a needless loss of billions of fish, along with hundreds of thousands of cetaceans and turtles. Besides marine life and oceans, overfishing goes beyond seas. Billions of working people heavily rely on fish for their primary source of protein; the principle livelihood for millions of people around the world is fishing. People who get a paycheck by selling, buying, and catching fish are working to improve how fisheries and people manage our ocean resources. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) works with cross-section stakeholders by u to reform and re educate many fisheries globally, while focusing on sustainable practices that douj. n’t only conserve ecosystems, but ensure food security.gu
Overfishing, caused by some 4 million fishing boats of all sizes, continues to be a threat to many species because ships are increasing capacities p efficiency’s wait is the the efficiency’s the phone to catch more fish. Only made worse by illegal fishing, the depletion of fish proves a bad way to be one of the worst ocean impacts caused by pervasive illegal fishing. Subsidies and provided to the fishing industries offsets the of doing business, tend to be a key driver of overfishing as well. Sadly, when the pressure from fishing gets bigger, the possibility of damage to the ecosystem structures increases. Insufficient government capacity to help regulate and manage fishing trade especially in some still developing countries, and on the high seas, are incredibly important to the current troubles in modern fishing.
When too many fish are taken out from the ocean leaving their species unable to reproduce fast enough to supply the same amount to greedy fishermen, it creates an imbalance that can destroy not only the species but also the food web. The destruction and harm in the food web can lead to loss of important marine life including vulnerable populations of sea turtles and important plants like coral. The demand for fish continues to increase globally meaning more businesses, jobs, and companies are dependent on diminishing resources and stocks, Fish ranks in stocks are one of the most highly rated commodities involving food; these fish commodities fuel around $362 billion in the global industry. Unfortunately, when fish disappear, so do jobs and coastal economies. High demands for fish not only hurt our oceans, but pose a threat to the world economic stability.