Fisheries+Depletion

Why This is Important
Read this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/02/AR2006110200913.html - Fish is the main protein source for billions of people around the planet, and fish have become a main source of protein for animal feed also. So if fish disappear, so will billions of people and all the other animals that we eat because neither of those will be fed. And we'll all have to become vegetarians, which is probably a good thing. - Only 10 percent of all large fish—both open ocean species including tuna, swordfish, marlin and the large groundfish such as cod, halibut, skates and flounder—are left in the sea, according to research published in today's issue of the scientific journal Nature. See this [|National Geographic Article] on it - See [|this article] on protein sources and our need to change them - Fish farming has become an important tool to producing fish, but it is not that great. look [|here] -20% of the animal protein consumed by humans comes from marine sources -Fish is the primary source of protein for 1 billion Asian citizens -Approximately 200 million jobs are created from the fishing business -In the next century, it is estimated that the fisheries will no longer be able to meet the growing global demand What will the coming billions of people eat for essential protein without fish and marine life? Where will we get fertilizers for our crops and feed for farm animals? What will be the point of scuba diving?

The Problem
Because there is a national reliability on fish and what they provide, the environmental issues surrounding fishing are somewhat devastating. These can be classified into issues that involve the availability of fish to be caught, such as [|overfishing], [|sustainable fisheries], and [|fisheries management]; and issues surrounding the impact of fishing on the environment, such as [|by-catch]. These fishery conservation issues are generally considered part of [|marine conservation], and many of these issues are addressed in fisheries science programs. There is an apparent and growing disparity between the availability of fish to be caught and humanity’s desire to catch them, a problem that is exacerbated by the rapidly growing [|world population]. As with some other [|environmental issues], often the people engaged in the activity of fishing – the fishers – and the [|scientists] who study fisheries science, who are often acting as fishery managers, are in conflict with each other, as the dictates of economics mean that fishers have to keep fishing for their livelihood, but the dictates of [|sustainable science] mean that some fisheries must close or reduce to protect the health of the population of the fish themselves. It is starting to be realized, however, that these two camps must work together to ensure fishery health through the 21st century and beyond. http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/commercial_fisheries_and_marine_mammals/fisheries_factsheet.html

Current News
- According to [|this BBC article] cod stocks in the North Sea are recovering slightly due to cuts in fishing limits. The number of young cod in the North Sea is still far below historical levels. The Advisory Committee on Fishery Management (ACFM), a division of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (Ices), reccommends "constraining catches in 2008 to less than 50% of the 2006 catches" to keep this recovery going. "This should include measures to constrain discards and illegal catches" the group adds. - Meanwhile, most other fisheries around the world are being depleted rapidly. Illegal overfishing and lack of adherence to fishing standards, as seen in this example from an Australian [|news report] is a large part of this problem. - Wild fish stocks continue to suffer at the hands of pollution. Here is one [|example] from China. - US calls for moratorium on fishing of eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna, some of the most over-fished species of fish. See a [|news article] on it and a [|press release] from the World Wildlife Foundation - High-tech fishing is emptying the seas accorting to this [|National Geographic Article]

http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/fisheries/fisheries.html

This graph shows the harvest per capita of fish from 1950 to 1995. It can be seen from this graph that the availability of marine food resources per person is declining, and, as a result, prices for these resources are rising.

New innovations in fishing technologies have also led to the depletion of the worlds' fisheries. Below is a model showing the level of exploitation of the worlds fisheries.

These two graphs show the current status of world fisheries and the projected virtual extinction of marine life as we know it

Current Fisheries Status:
Less than 1/3 of fisheries are sustainably "exploited"

Projected Fisheries Status:
Better enjoy your fish by the year 2048...

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What is Aquaculture exactly?
From [| Wikipedia] : Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic organisms. Unlike fishing, aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, implies the cultivation of aquatic populations under controlled conditions. [1] Mariculture refers to aquaculture practiced in marine environments. Particular kinds of aquaculture include algaculture (the production of kelp/seaweed and other algae); fish farming; shrimp farming, shellfish farming, and the growing of cultured pearls.

Aquaculture, faming fish and marine life for food, has benefits and downsides. These points below are from [| this pdf] from PBS.org

Arguments in favor of aquaculture:
1. Can create jobs in community 2. Can increase revenue on city, state and national level 3. Can reduce seafood trade deficit 4. Can help feed a growing U.S. and world population 5. Can encourage local investment 6. Can increase scientific knowledge and technology 7. Can place more emphasis on protecting coastal waters from pollution, especially in the case of mollusk and seaweed culture. 8. May reduce fishing pressure on certain wild stocks if that species can be produced through aquaculture rather than fished.

Arguments against aquaculture:
1. Can conflict with other users of water bodies such as lobstermen, fishermen or migrating fish 2. Can put excess pressure on wild stocks that are used to create high protein feed pellets 3. Can amplify and transfer disease and parasites to wild fish populations 4. Can pollute water systems with excess nutrients (fish feed & wastes), chemicals and antibiotics 5. Can compromise native gene pools if farmed fish and native species interbreed 6. Can threaten livelihood of fishermen 7. Can be an unpredictable enterprise for small local communities due to its susceptibility to severe weather, predators, disease, and global competition 8. Can compromise the aesthetic beauty of coastline

Fishery Locations
-Over 80% of the worlds fisheries are in a salt water environment, and the remaining 20% are located in fresh water. -Over 50% of the fisheries are located in the Pacific Ocean -See [|Encarta Article] -20% of the fish harvest comes from the small, open ocean fishes (sardine, herring) These pelagic fisheries are mainly located in Peru and Chile Tuna, swordfish, marlin, and mahi-mahi account for 25% of the pelagic harvest (=5% of world harvest) -The majority of the shrimp harvest (makes up less than 5% of whole fish harvest) originates from Thailand, India, Ecuador, Mexico, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada -The majority of the carp harvest, (makes up 10% of whole fish harve st) originates from Asia and some areas of Europe -Salmon harvest, (2%), mainly from Canada, Japan, Russia, and the US -Groundfish harvest (10%) includes fish such as cod and pollock, and come partly from Alaska -Other fish types/locations: Scallops (Japan, Canada, China, US), King Crab (Alaska, Russia), Clawed Lobster (Canada, US), Spiny Lobster, Squid, Octopus from various worldwide locations.

What has been done and what is being done
This is the [|United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement] of 1995, but according to [|this article] at present no United Nations (UN) or other international body has the authority to somehow "manage" these governmental fishing aspirations.