The Sea Is Humanity 's Lifeline

Overfishing is a global issue that has many negative effects on the environment (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2009). Fish are a major resource that many people rely on for not only nutrition, but also for a means of income (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2009). As the population of the world increases, so does the demand for fish, which puts oceans under a lot of pressure (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2009). Due to advanced fishing technologies and equipment, going out further into the oceans and catching huge amounts of fish is easier than ever (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2009). Froese (2004) defines overfishing as capturing the fish before they reach their full growth potential and diminishing their chance of reproduction. In other

The earliest accounts of overfishing occurred in the 1800s, when the demand of whale blubber nearly wiped out the whale populations. In the mid 1900s, the harvesting of Atlantic cod, herring, and California sardines drove them to the brink of extinction. These high disruptions cause regional depletions of animal resources which is starting to cause a global problem. There has never been a more urgent time for fishing nations to make a commitment towards the sustainability of our oceans. More than 80% of the world’s fisheries have been, or are being pushed beyond their limits and are in dire need of strict management plans. Populations of fish and elasmobranch fish such as tuna, grouper and sharks have been declining to the point where the survival

Nearly seventy-one percent of Earth is covered by oceans. This massive body of water provides homes to millions of species of marine life. Over the years, the amount of fish has decreased rapidly due to the practice of overfishing. Overfishing has become such a massive problem that if there is no stop put to it, it could destroy the ocean’s and the Earth’s future. Fortunately, an organization named Oceana was founded for the sole purpose of saving the oceans. Due to the overuse of fishing, the population of sea life is decreasing rapidly and the organization, Oceana, is helping to put a stop to overfishing to save world hunger, ecosystem destruction, and economic destruction.

According to a study done by Living Planet Report in 2015, 29% of the world’s fishing stocks are considered overfished and an additional 61% is fully exploited with no possibility to produce more fish. Our environment is currently afflicted by a number of different problems, one of which is overfishing. Overfishing is defined by FishOnline as, “Fishing with a sufficiently high intensity to reduce the breeding stock levels to such an extent that they will no longer support a sufficient quantity of fish for sport or commercial harvest.” The overfishing situation is being exacerbated by non-sustainable and destructive fishing practices and unfair fisheries partnership agreements; while there are currently attempts being made at fixing these problems and their effects on overfishing, nothing has been extremely effective.

The earth’s oceans are overfished. Nearly 80 percent of commercial fisheries are overexploited and some experts believe that global fisheries will completely collapse by 2048 (Barkin page 1). While these are just facts that tell the worst-case scenario, they should be alarms that spark change in the way we fish. This paper, however, will specifically target overfishing in the Grand Banks in Newfoundland, Canada, and analyze its impact on Earth, its Environment and Humanity. Over fishing is simply when fishermen catch more fish than are being reproduced. Eventually the stock of fish in the environment will be completely depleted. That is exactly what happened off the shores of Newfoundland in 1992. With Cod fishing at an all time high, the Canadian government discovered that the Cod population was almost exhausted. New technology and poor decision-making led to the complete destruction of the cod population in the Grand Banks and this is a mistake that we should never repeat.

Overfishing is a threat not only to marine ecosystems, but also to human survival. If there are no fish, humanity will have to find alternative food sources, which, with our current technological capabilities, are not readily available nor easily accessible for the general population, potentially leading to widespread famine. Our advertisement highlights how soon this may become reality, with the statistical claim of scientists predicting the oceans to be completely lifeless by 2050. People may feel that our claim is more legitimate if it has been confirmed by professionals. The prediction alone is grim, and our choice to use the

The ocean makes up nearly three-quarters of the planet 's surface and contains about eighty percent of the life on earth. Millions of people all over the world depend on seafood heavily as a primary source of food. Americans alone consumed as much as 15.8 pounds of seafood per person in 2009 (NOAA). This is a lot of fish. In fact, it is so much that many populations of fish are going extinct. At this particular rate according to National Geographic, scientist predict that the earth is expected to lose all of its current fisheries by the year 2048 (Roach). The overfishing of our oceans leads to unmanageable practices that will eventually cause many species of fish to become extinct.

Overfishing can impact marine ecosystems and communities that rely heavily on marine mammals. Large reductions in population sizes of marketable fish species caught yearly may significantly create economic stress within fishing communities, especially if they mainly rely on fish for income or food, such as 3rd world countries. If marketable fish population numbers drop too low fishermen and even whole communities may be forced to give up their way of life, which has been passed down from generation to generation, and find jobs elsewhere (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2009). Loss of income and jobs is caused from decreased population sizes, which lower productive fish stocks, and results in business closures and lowered economic status (Lee and Safina, 1995). Food security is also affected by overfishing. Many coastal communities depend on fish as their main food source. When consumable fish populations decrease the food supplies and food availability also decrease, resulting in shortages to occur and fish becoming an unreliable source of food (World Wildlife Fund, 2016).

According to the United Nations, 17% of fish stocks worldwide are currently overexploited; 52% are fully exploited; and 7% are depleted. This means that only an estimated 20% of worldwide fish stocks are not already at or above their capacity(Seafarms, 2013). Catches of Pacific herring have decreased by 71% since the 1960s, with Atlantic herring catches falling by 63%. Atlantic Cod catches have fallen by 69% in the same time(Seafarms, 2013). These are just a few of many facts and statistics on the topic of overfishing. The effects of these statistics and facts impact people’s and animal's lives around the

Overfishing is a death sentence to the world’s oceans. As technology continues to improve a great deal of fish can be caught quicker; but at what cost? The effects of overfishing can lead to the extinction of not just the animals being fished, but also the predators that rely on fish to eat. Ninety percent of the ocean’s largest animals have been wiped out due to overfishing (“Overfishing- A Global Disaster”, 2011). National Geographic cites the academic journal Science (2006) that predicts by 2048, all fisheries will collapse due to lack of ocean wildlife. Fish are not the only animal caught in the nets used by fishing vessels. Often animals such as dolphins, sharks, turtles, and seabirds are

Callum Roberts set himself the difficult task of cataloguing evidence that today’s oceans are depleted and struggling against overfishing and human influence, while still remaining optimistic about the future of the world’s oceans in his book The Unnatural History of the Sea. Roberts begins by painting a picture of the oceans as they may have been before human influence had drastically depleted species and changed ecosystems through fishing. From this point, he maps out centuries of development in fishing and shows how drastically changed and depleted the world’s oceans are today because of human exploitation. With the explanation of modern day fishery policy and a strong case against the practice of trawling, Roberts shows how humanity continues to exploit the ocean as if it were an endless resource. In spite of all this, the author, in the end, attempts to develop a positive outlook by explaining what can be done to stop the rapid decimation of fisheries, including reevaluation of fishery regulations and development of marine reserves.

Millions of people rely on the ocean for basic nutrition in their diet as well as financially, but the majority of those people do not know what effects of catching that fish might have on the ecosystem. Overfishing has been done for century’s and continues to this day with the first group of fishermen hauling in nearly 500 pounds of fish per fishermen on an eighteen to thirty man vessel in the 11th century. Lack of government also contributes to the problem of life in the ocean to ensure there is an equal balance. Although enforcing laws can ensure the survivability of the oceans ecosystem; cretin fishing companies damage the balance due to the dragging of nets across reefs furthermore removing predatory fish.

In order for there to be plenty of fish in the years ahead, fisheries will have to develop sustainable fisheries and some will have to close. Due to the constant increase in the human population, the oceans have been overfished with a resulting decline of fish crucial to the economy and communities of the world. The control of the world's fisheries is a controversial subject, as they cannot produce enough to satisfy the demand, especially when there aren't enough fish left to breed in healthy ecosystems. Scientists are often in the role of fisheries managers and must regulate the amount of fishing in the oceans, a position not popular with those who have to make a living fishing ever decreasing populations.

The Oceanographer Jacques Cousteau once said, “The sea, the great unifier, is man 's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat."The ocean is an essential part of God’s creation. The oceans are being mistreated and this environment is being destroyed through human activities. Yet, there have been several signs of hope seen in this world to improve conditions in oceans. Organizations including Mission Blue and National Marine Sanctuaries are striving to improve circumstances in our bounteous oceans that are threatened by human activities.

By 2050, we could effectively be out of fish.” (United Nations, 2010) In the 21st century, fisheries are facing a crisis along with some other public goods. Fisheries satisfy the conditions for being a common (public) good by being ‘non-excludable’ and ‘rival.’ No one can ‘exclude’ a person from fishing, but present-day intake of fish will reduce the amount available for other fisherman in the future (‘rival’). Around 80% of the world’s fisheries are being over-exploited leading to a devastating impact on aquatic communities as it destabilizes the food chain and destructs the natural habitats of many oceanic communities.