Humans have always depended on the ocean for food resources, but in recent decades new technologies have allowed humans to fish at a larger scale than ever before. At the risk of sounding like a Bryn Mawr history teacher, I will say: it leads back to the great Industrial Revolution. According to the National Resource Defense Council, scientists estimate that the world’s large ocean fish, swordfish and tuna, have declined 90% since pre-industrial levels. Removing large amounts of a species from an ecosystems, especially predators, creates a chain reaction that affects the entire food web.
Besides affecting the ocean’s ecosystems through target species removal, the fishing industry also directly harms them through habitat destruction and by-catch. Lucrative fishing practices such as dredging and trawling involve dragging a large metal scoop along ocean floor, harming sponges, oyster beds, coral reefs, and burrowing worms that cycle nutrients. In blast fishing, fisherman throw sticks of dynamite into the water to shock the fish so that they float to the surface, but this shocks coral reefs as well. Another practice called ghost fishing occurs when neglected or forgotten fishing equipment catching animals accidentally. For example, abandoned crab pots attract diamondback turtles, and a University of Georgia study found an abandoned crab pot containing 130 dead turtles. All of these practices often result in by-catch, or the accidental catching of other species in pursuit of a target species. Fisherman often lay miles of open line in the ocean to which many sea turtles fall victim and drown. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that 300,000 marine mammals, 160,000 albatross birds and 3 million sharks are lost to by-catch from fishing practices each year.
The United States has been a pioneer country in combating these practices through law making and new technologies. Implementing catch limits has lead to the rebound of bluefish and flounder stocks in the Mid Atlantic. Under the Magnuson Steven Act, two thirds of federally managed species with rebuilding plans are recuperating. New and less destructive fishing methods such as the diver harvesting of oysters have shown to be not only beneficial to ocean habitats, but economically profitable. A study at UNC found that the practice of diver harvesting reduces coral reef height by 28% less than dredging while producing 25-32% more oysters per unit time of fishing. Implementing overfishing legislation has been very difficult in countries whose economies depend heavily on the fishing industry, as they do not want to see a decrease in profits. However, in protecting the species that both the economy and population rely on, they can ultimately preserve them for future generations.
The problems created by overfishing have been aggravated by IUU fishing, or Illegal Unreported Unregulated fishing. IUU fishing boats are not subject to the regulations and limits put on legal fishing by governments, which include quotas, bycatch limits, protected areas, and designated times. As a result, they exploit stocks that are already vulnerable from legal fishing. Additionally, the misreporting of catches altars the appropriate legal catch quotas because under the false assumption that less fish are being caught, lawmakers set quotas too high. IUU fishing can be partly attributed the increasing demand for imported seafood around the world. According to the National Oceanic and atmospheric administration, the United States currently imports more than 90% of its seafood, and a National Geographic article discussing the issue states that an estimated 20-32% of these imports were caught illegally. That’s one in three fish eaten in the U.S. So, while our government has made great strides in regulating American fishing, we still participate in this illegal industry through trade. Unlike the United States and many European countries, many developing coastal countries cannot afford to set up and administer complex control structures. The World Ocean Review reports that off the coast of West Africa, IUU fishing accounts for 40% of the catch, and for 34% in the Western Central Pacific. In the Northwest Pacific Ocean, which includes both Russia and China, an estimated 33% of the catch is IUU. The use of satellite based monitoring systems and more stringent port checks have helped to decrease this, but ending IUU fishing has proven very difficult when countries each have their own standards. For this reason, the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food has been lobbying for uniform world wide controls.
Overfishing and IUU fishing are not the sexiest issues out there, which makes raising awareness even for them more pressing. Many people do not feel as emotionally connected to fish as they do to pandas or polar bears because they are not cute and cuddly. But this problem is so much bigger than just fish; it’s the chain reaction: destruction of entire species, entire ecosystems, and potentially entire oceans. As consumers, we are in control of this industry and can affect change. So next time you dine restaurant and crave some imported fish, ask the waitress where it’s from. Shop at supermarkets that are supplied by sustainable fisheries. You can even download apps to help you with these purchases. Do not underestimate your ability to literally help save the world.
Sources:
@nrdc. "Stop Overfishing and Restore Fisheries." NRDC. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
Grosse, Andrew M., J. Daniel Van Dijk, Kerry L. Holcomb, and John C. Maerz. "Diamondback Terrapin Mortality in Crab Pots in a Georgia Tidal Marsh."Diamondback Terrapin Mortality in Crab Pots in a Georgia Tidal Marsh (n.d.): 1-7. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
"Bycatch Victims." WWF Conserves Our Planet, Habitats, & Species like the Panda & Tiger. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
Lenihan, Hunter S., and Charles H. Peterson. "Conserving Oyster Reef Habitat by Switching from Dredging and Tonging to Diver-harvesting." — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Elsevier, Apr. 2004. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
"Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing :: NOAA ..." NOAA Fisheries. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
Howard, Brian C. "One in Three Fish Imported Into U.S. May Be Illegal | Nat ..."National Geographic. National Geographic, 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
"Illegal Fishing." World Ocean Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.