Hi guys! Today's post is going to be part of a trilogy of posts on the negative human impact on fish. This post focuses on the effects of overfishing. Enjoy!
Oceans occupy 71 percent of the Earth's surface. Deep in these blue waters, live a large variety of fish, both big and small, some of which haven’t even been discovered yet. The species that have been discovered, however, are not only under constant threat from bigger fish, but they are threatened by all humans, including me, and our actions. Fish are a part of our ecosystem, and although many scientists are trying to help the fish living in our oceans, my actions as well as other’s have an effect on these fish, both positive and negative.
All my life I have loved the water and, more recently, as a result of many of my experiences, ocean life has become a growing passion. Since I was very young, I have enjoyed collecting seashells and bringing them home with me to remind me of the water. I spend part of my summers sailing in Cape Cod, and I love swimming in the ocean in the Northeast, as well as in California and Florida. Last year while traveling to Costa Rica, my family and I took a boat to Isla Tortuga to go snorkeling. This was the first time I was able to look underwater at a fish habitat, and I was fascinated by the bright colors and sounds of the fish, and I knew I wanted to learn even more about natural underwater environments and how to sustain them. This summer I am planning to spend two weeks studying at the Acadia Institute of Oceanography, which I hope will help me to learn even more about marine biology.
In 2012, I was fortunate enough to go to Baja California Sur with some environmentalists from the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). In 2000 they worked against Mitsubishi, a company that wanted to build a salt mine in a lagoon that grey whales are known to migrate to in the spring. Instead of allowing Mitsubishi to build the salt mine, the NRDC convinced the government of Mexico to protect this area where grey whales can continue to raise their calves year after year. On this trip I spent time on the water interacting with the whales as well as exploring mangrove and tidepool environments. Connecting with the whales was definitely one of the best parts of the trip. The overall experience, however, inspired me to learn more about whales, and marine science in general. I was able to go back to Laguna San Ignacio again last year, and I was even more convinced that something had to be done to save these beautiful creatures for future generations. Despite the fact that the lagoon was saved, there is still a lot that needs to be done to keep the grey whales and other animals from endangerment. This includes preventing climate change and pollution and also the depletion of fish in the oceans.
Overfishing is making a big impact on sea life, and anyone who eats fish is a part of the problem - even if they don’t know it. Oceans are being drained of fish all around the world, because the rate at which fish are being taken out of their habitat is unsustainable. As there is demand for fish on the table, fishing has become very popular. “One in every five people depend on fish as their primary source of protein” (saveourseas.com). I really enjoy eating fish, but we need to let them replenish, so I try to space out my seafood meals. This summer, when I was in Norway, I saw how people who lived in coastal villages had figured out how to use sustainable fish farming to prevent the reduction of wild fish. Recently, scientists have begun to notice a major decrease in fish, and laws have been passed regulating areas, amounts, and types of fishing in an attempt to bring back these precious undersea populations. There are many coastal populations where fishing is a source of income, and when these laws are put into place, fishermen are forced to fish deeper into the sea for fish that are farther down on the food chain. This upsets the balance of underwater food chains. When I was in Mexico, I met a fisherwoman who spends three or four days at a time far out on the ocean in a panga boat, waiting to catch enough fish to pay her bills. She used to be able to catch enough fish in a day closer to shore, but now she is forced to spend nights in the middle of the ocean to catch these fish in order to support her family.
Check back next week for a whole lot on Pollution!
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