Raise the Alarm

I am relatively new to the idea of overfishing, and believe many other folks  feel the same way I do from having very little backgroup on the over exploitation of fish in our world’s water system. Just starting my own personal research on this subject resulted in a high level of amazement and being caught by surprise at what statistics are teaching us, while at the same time the relatively low amounts of news coverage following this. According to a Food and Agriculture Organization estimate, “over 70% of the world’s fish species are either fully exploited or depleted. The dramatic increase of destructive fishing techniques worldwide destroys marine mammals and entire ecosystems.”  This isn't just a global issue that doesn't affect Americans, but a problem that we face off our own shores as well seeing dramatic declines in many of our fishing communities. According to the website 10 Stories, “In the last decade, in the north Atlantic region, commercial fish populations of cod, hake, haddock and flounder have fallen by as much as 95%,”

Some ways that agencies are suggesting we fight these trends is instituting a catch share program. This is where the amounts of fish being allowed to fisheries as quotas would be a direct result of the amounts of fish that are in the worlds waters. If companies can produce a way to create more fish, this would then result in more fishing. This will give companies incentives to grow the fish population, which will result in larger catch quotas boosting their bottom line. An idea like this might accelerate new ways of doing business, as the way business is being done right know is far from efficent. Currently every pound of fish being sold in the market, 10 pounds is wasted (Sylvia Earle), so companies need to be held accountable and find a way be more efficient. If this current pace keeps up, the world may be out of seafood by the year 2048, and with hundreds of millions of people depending on fish as their only source of protein, a much bigger issue could soon be on the horizon.

Sources & Additional Information

The FAO Fish and Aquaculture organization - http://www.fao.org

10 Stories - http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/06/story.asp?storyID=800

You Tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxacxShp3LY