So What is Overfishing...
Overfishing occurs when fish are caught in substantial numbers, at a rate faster than what the population can replace through natural reproduction. This leads to difficulties for species to successfully reproduce and maintain viable numbers for their survival; this negatively impacts other species, which interact in marine ecosystems.
- According to marine ecologists, "overfishing is the greatest threat to ocean ecosystems today, and scientists agree that at current exploitation rates, many important fish stocks will become extinct from the system within 25 years"
- "Since 1950, with the onset of industrialized fisheries, we have rapidly reduced the resource base to less than 10% for entire communities of these large fish species from the tropics to the poles" (Ransom Myers & Boris Worm)
Causes of Overfishing
- Lack of Protected Areas
- Poor Management of Fisheries
- Lack of oversight from fisheries management teams
- Fisheries management teams are not adequately taking scientific advice on sustainable fish quotas & planning
- Illegal Fishing
- Subsidies
- Creates commercial fishing fleets that are too large in number (Estimated that the current supply of global fishing fleets are 2.5 times the capacity needed to fulfill the demand)
- Advancements in Technology and Fishing Equipment
- Items such as: "synthetic netting, dredges, mid-water trawlers, purse seine nets, and huge factory ships (used for catching & processing fish and equipped with improved refrigeration) have allowed fishing fleets to exponentially increase their catch totals while being able to stay at sea for longer periods of time"
Brief History of Overfishing in the Northwest Atlantic
- 1497 - John Cabot returned to England with reports of enormous cod populations found near Newfoundland
- 1500s-1700s - Competition between English, French, & Portuguese fishing fleets off coast of Eastern Canada & New England (Commercial fishing interests dominated settlements in the "New World")
- 1860s - First evidence of failing cod fisheries off of NW Atlantic coastal waters
- 1870s - Introduction of first intensive fishing equipment (trawls, traps, and cod seines) and expansion into more offshore fishing grounds
- 1890s - Halibut were gone from coastal fishing grounds and only offshore populations remained
- 1950s-1960s - Onset of industrialized fisheries; military technology from WWII gave fishing fleets more navigational capabilities and allowed for advanced fish finding. Massive growth & production in commercial fishing
- Early 1970s - First collapse of cod fisheries in Eastern Canada
- 1974 - Introduction of quota system in NW Atlantic fisheries
- 1992 - Second, disastrous collapse of cod fisheries in NW Atlantic
- 1995 - Approximately 40,000 fishermen and shore workers in Eastern Canada & New England were displaced due to the closures of local cod fisheries