Ocean Overfishing

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Pages: 3

The Wolds fisheries are a very complex ecosystem. Many of these fisheries are being exhausted of their resources. This is to satisfy the needs of the consumers in many different countries .Many species in these fisheries are becoming extinct or are coming close to extinction. If too many spices reach extinction we could see a entire food source disappear. The oceans fisheries are being affected when fish stocks decrease by overfishing. When a top predator is fished out of a ecosystem, it has major effects on the ecosystem. It would impact the fish they would feed on, by causing them to over populate and eventually starve after exhausting their food resource. There are environmental impacts when a herbivore is fished out of a ecosystem as well. This impacts plant life, it can cause a increase in algae growth and this could affect the coral reefs near the fishery. According to the University of Michigan "Aggressive fishing methods have hurt coral reefs sometimes beyond repair". When a coral reef is damaged it has negative impacts on humans and marine life. Such as loss of sea life and resources. There is also by catch this is where non targeted species are caught along with the targeted …show more content…
It is stated by the Marine Stewardship Counsel that one billion people rely on fish as a primary source of food .Also techniques and technology has changes the fishing industry. As the population grows so does the demand for fish products. " . . . well-equipped ships and hi-tech facilities that enable fishermen to explore new shores and deeper waters to keep up with the increasing demand for seafood."(Jetson). This increase in demand only further puts fisheries at risk of being fished out. Two techniques are drift netting and trawling. These methods catch targeted fish for the market but also there is by catch. Most by catch does not survive the ordeal and are simply tossed aside the fishing