By Ariel Yeh
Do you remember the last time you ate sushi? There is nothing wrong with devouring a feast of fish. However, before you do so you might want to think about the process of how those fish were caught. Was it a friendly catch? Though the oceans seem to be very productive, marine species are facing very severe depletion. According to a recent study published in the journal Nature, “90% of all large fishes have disappeared from the world’s oceans in the past half century as a result of overfishing.” Overfishing simply means to catch more fish than the system can naturally afford. And this is the most critical problem for marine life compared to other types of fishery industry, such as fish farming. Here I would like to categorize two major consequences of overfishing, by-catching and habitat destroying. By-catching happens when unwanted marine creatures get trapped by commercial nets when fishing for targeted species. According to scientific research, about one-fourth of the annual global catch kills and discards undesirable species, including large marine mammals. As a result, by-catching not only diminishes the gene pool in marine diversity, but also severely interferes with the natural food chain. Consequently, when higher-level species are exhausted to extinction, many lower species will be left with no predators. One study in northern California showed that a once prosperous scallop fishery collapsed because of an increased population of rays, because the sharks that had normally eaten them had been eliminated due to by-catching. Even more, animals’ behavior will be immensely affected, such as the way seals swim to avoid being caught. And the consequences affect not only marine life but also the fishery industry. Eventually human beings will suffer the most. The invaluable resources of tropical rainforests are thoroughly protected by legal regulations, but what about the “tropical rainforest” under the sea? The destruction of coral reefs is another important issue. To watching a video of boats unmercifully dragging along the seafloor and overturning the seabed is heartbreaking and devastating. Without these habitats there will be no more fish, and jellyfish may occupy the waters and turn them into dead zones. Although many research papers continue working on new nets to reduce these effects, there are still difficulties because of the way most fishing boats are constructed, thereby increasing the costs and reducing the amount of the fish harvest. To solve this problem, European countries have made policies persuading fishermen to try out new equipment with the help of government subsidies. Although it is impossible to eradicate overfishing overnight, there are many things we can do to help protect our priceless marine life. For example, traditional Chinese wedding banquets can dispense with shark’s fin soup, which is usually served just because it is very expensive. With an increased awareness of our ecosystem, we can take action now. The United Nations terrifyingly reports that only 1% of the stock of marine fish is recovering from depletion. Fear is not enough, what we need is action! a
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May 2024
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