Managing the Worlds Fisheries

Can Fisheries be Sustainable?

     The topic of our environment not being as diverse and as beautiful for our future generations is one that is close to me. Throughout my childhood I would spend part of everyday outdoors exploring in the woods. Nature holds a very special place in my life. As I grew older, I began to have an increasing interest in aquatic organisms as well as the entire ecosystem surrounding them. This first year experience class was the one that most interested me because it discusses the major issues around the worlds oceans. I have fished ever since I was around 5 years old and have always released them after I catch them. A main topic that was covered throughout this class was how unsustainable some fisheries can be. Some cultures, like in Asia, contribute to the death of 100 million sharks each year. When it comes to this worldwide crisis of the decrease in certain species of fish, there are minimal solutions. As we discussed the possible solutions to unsustainable fisheries across the world, I got an even bigger connection with this topic because I want this Earth to be even more beautiful and diverse for our future generations.

When Phil Gwinnell came to speak to our class about how biologist observe fisheries in order to collect data on how much by-catch

is caught and any other unsustainable activities that occur on their time spent aboard the ship. This was an eye-opening experience for me when he informed us about the unsustainable practices that have been observed. In his experience, the fishing crew was more sustainable than unsustainable, which was a relief to hear. The first issue that Phil discussed was the way that the fisheries catch their fish. For example, long lining or bottom trawling can be very harmful to the environment. While bottom trawling, the fishermen destroy the ocean floor and kill any organisms living there. When the fishermen set out a long line, they could catch various species which they are not targeting, thus harming the environment even more. The work that biologist like Phil do is very important as we manage the worlds fisheries to be as sustainable as possible. Observers need to note all of the flaws in the fishery in order to make a better understanding of the rules these fishing boats should follow.

Despite all of these negative scenarios surrounding global fisheries, the upside to successfully sustainable fisheries is amazing. When fisheries are sustainably run they can give hope to biologists who suggest that fish are coming to  an end and are going to be extinct soon. The amount problems that can arise from just one species of fish becoming extinct is a lot. For example, when one species goes extinct, it can cause disruptions throughout the entire food chain.

I believe that there is still a long way before we reach having sustainably run fisheries across the world but in the meantime we can continue to observe nearby fisheries, like Phil did, in order to become more sustainable. This class was eye opening to me because I did not realize how bad of shape our Earth’s ecosystems are.