Fishing For Trouble
The unseen injustices of the fishing industry
By: Nandana A
Age: 15
Atlanta, Georgia USA
The unseen injustices of the fishing industry
By: Nandana A
Age: 15
Atlanta, Georgia USA
The fish that’s handed to you in the supermarket is just fish. Depending on your supermarket, you might get it pre-cut, wrapped in a neat little package, and maybe, if you splurged, with a sticker declaring it “sustainable seafood.” But you can’t wrap the other, unseen victims of your seafood dinner in a neat little package. When you read the package, you can’t see the long, bloody, often illegal trail that it takes to get this seafood in your hand. Consumers are often left in the dark as to where their fish came from, and it’s clear why. With big fishing companies raking in revenue up to the billions, seafood is a lucrative business. The global fishing industry generated 271.61 billion USD in 2018 and is set to generate 376.48 billion USD by 2025. Companies don’t want people knowing the ugly truth behind the seafood they eat, and it’s important that we change that.
IUU fishing, which stands for Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing, has become increasingly prevalent in the fishing industry and is an issue with far-reaching impacts. Illegal fishing refers to fishing that is in direct defiance of laws and regulations, unreported fishing refers to catch that isn’t reported to the authorities, and unregulated fishing refers to fishing in areas without proper regulations for fishing. In Africa, the waters once fished by native people are now crowded with illegal ships and trawlers from all around the world. 40% of the fish coming from Africa is illegal, the highest number in the world. This IUU fishing has cost Africa an estimated 1 billion USD in loss and has contributed significantly to the hunger crisis in the area. Lack of funding in developing nations, often divided by war, terrorism, and poverty, means that there’s no way to monitor these illegal ships. Fishing in these areas not only provides food for the locals but also jobs. This economic impact added to the strain of an already war-torn and impoverished nation such as Somalia, and many citizens have turned to alternatives. The notorious ‘Somali pirates claim that they are actually fishermen, who, when fed up with dwindling catches, turned to piracy. Other alternatives fishermen may turn to include crime or migration to other parts of Africa, which all add up to a much greater social, economic, and political impact.
While fish are the most visible victims of the fishing industries, the issue of bycatch adds another, more troubling dimension. Bycatch is defined by the NOAA as “discarded catch of marine species and unobserved mortality due to a direct encounter with fishing vessels and gear.” Essentially, it’s the wildlife that gets caught accidentally by fishing nets or gets tangled in gear and then is discarded by the fishermen. Bycatch affects both fish and marine mammals and can cause serious injury or death to these animals. Bycatch is monitored mainly by human observers aboard fishing vessels, but due to foul play and negligence, many of the statistics we have are outdated or inaccurate. Global bycatch is estimated to make up 40% of the global catch, totaling 63 billion pounds of marine life. In the US, there are very few bycatch regulations, many of which are flouted by fishing companies. In the Gulf of Mexico, federal fisheries managers turn a blind eye to shrimp trawls killing tens of thousands of sea turtles by discarding them when they’re caught. In the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, 300 pilot whales and almost 700 sea turtles were killed due to bycatch in just one year. Sharks are especially vulnerable to overexploitation, with almost 17 million sharks killed due to bycatch in the ’90s. Bycatch is actually the most dangerous risk to sea turtles; in fact, in Hawaii, the North Pacific Loggerhead population declined by 50-90% over the last 50 years due to a local fishery. Yearly, bycatch is estimated to kill 300,000 small whales and dolphins, 250,000 endangered loggerhead turtles and critically endangered leatherback turtles, and 300,000 seabirds, including 17 albatross species. This highlights not only the scale but also the diversity of the species that have been lost to bycatch. Because of a combination of poor regulation, foul play, and negligence, bycatch has become one of the most worrying aspects of the fishing industry.
Overfishing, one of the most well-known flaws of the fishing industry, has driven the decline of marine life significantly. Overfishing is defined by National Geographic as “the taking of wildlife from the sea at rates too high for fished species to replace themselves.” It began in the 1800s when the whale population was driven to near extinction by hunters looking for whale blubber. In the 1900s, species such as Atlantic cod, Atlantic herring, and California sardines were once again overfished to the brink of extinction. Due to overfishing, 29% of the world’s fish stocks have declined, and 61% of them have been fully fished. Overfishing impacts the economy, the ocean, and people. In Florida, the saltwater fishing industry is worth $9.2 billion USD, and the coral reefs bring in $375 billion USD each year. Overfishing could significantly reduce these revenues due to the number of fish depleting. Keeping our oceans healthy leads to a stronger coastal economy; overfishing could result in a loss of employment and food crisis for 60 million people in the United States alone. There’s also the environmental impact of these problems. Coral reefs, which increase ocean diversity and protect the coastlines, are a source of food, income, and protection for half a billion people globally. Overfishing means there will be less fish to support the reefs, and the fishing gear often damages reefs as well. The loss of so many fish species degrades the overall health of the ocean, and when keystone species are lost, the effect ripples throughout the food web. Overfishing, which goes hand in hand with bycatch, is an incredibly prevalent issue in today’s world, and it is destructive to almost all aspects of the ocean.
The issues outlined here are a few of many. The fishing industry has damaged the ocean, the economy, and more. However, there is still hope. The problem of IUU fishing can be addressed by better coordinating the coast guards in these areas, calling for regional cooperation to solve this issue, and negotiating better, fairer contracts between fishing companies and the countries whose waters are being illegally fished. To address bycatch, there needs to be more stringent laws and regulation in fisheries, as well as better data and analysis of these figures. Finally, to help combat overfishing, there can be limits to the number of fish caught, more protected marine areas, and better monitoring of fishing trawlers. Everyone, whether it’s the government, the fishing companies, or even everyday people, plays a role in this issue, and it’s our responsibility to advocate for change in the fishing industry. Organizations to support include Sea Shepherd, an organization aimed at preventing illegal fishing; Oceana, an organization committed to restoring the world’s oceans; and World Wildlife Fund, an organization committed to conserving nature and protecting the diversity of life found on Earth. Resources to educate yourself further include Seaspiracy, a documentary on Netflix detailing the problems with the fishing industry, fisheries.noaa.gov, oceana.org, and edf.org.
Bibliography
"5-Biggest Fishing Companies In 2020". The Science Agriculture, 2021, https://scienceagri.com/5-biggest-fishing-companies-in- 2020/. Accessed 22 June 2021.
Research, Allied. "Global Fish Farming Market To Reach $376.48 Billion By 2025: AMR". Globenewswire News Room, 2021, https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/01/13/2158043/0/en/Global-Fish-Farming-Market-to-Reach-376-48-billion-by-2025-AMR.html. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"The Fight For West Africa’S Fish". Ft.Com, 2020, https://www.ft.com/content/0eb523ca-5d41-11ea-8033-fa40a0d65a98. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Understanding Illegal, Unreported, And Unregulated Fishing". NOAA, 2021, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-illegal-unreported-and-unregulated-fishing. Accessed 22 June 2021.
Hatcher, Jessica. "Illegal Overfishing And The Return Of Somalia’S Pirates". Aljazeera.Com, 2021, https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2015/10/6/illegal-overfishing-and-the-return-of-somalias-pirates. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Safeguarding Africa’S Fishing Waters". Africa Renewal, 2009, https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/july-2009/safeguarding-africa%E2%80%99s-fishing-waters. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Understanding Bycatch". NOAA, 2021, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-bycatch. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Wasted Catch: Unsolved Problems In U.S. Fisheries". Oceana, 2014, https://oceana.org/reports/wasted-catch-unsolved-problems-us-fisheries. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Overfishing -- National Geographic". Environment, 2021, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/critical-issues-overfishing. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Facts & Figures: The Cold Hard Facts About Overfishing - Fish Forward (WWF)". Fish Forward (WWF), 2021, https://www.fishforward.eu/en/topics/facts-figures/. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"How Does Overfishing Threaten Coral Reefs?". Oceanservice.Noaa.Gov, 2021, https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral-overfishing.html. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"The Impact Of Overfishing On The Economy, Ecosystem And Social Life | South Florida Media Network". Sfmn.Fiu.Edu, 2021, http://sfmn.fiu.edu/the-impact-of-overfishing-on-the-economy-ecosystem-and-social-life/. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Overfishing And Destructive Fishing Threats | Reef Resilience". Reefresilience.Org, 2021, https://reefresilience.org/stressors/local-stressors/overfishing-and-destructive-fishing-threats/. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Overfishing". World Wildlife Fund, 2021, https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing. Accessed 22 June 2021.
Strauss, K., 2014. Report: Overfishing bad for fish, but worse for the economy. [online] edf.org. Available at: <https://www.edf.org/blog/2014/04/02/report-overfishing-bad-fish-worse-economy> Accessed 22 June 2021
IUU fishing, which stands for Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing, has become increasingly prevalent in the fishing industry and is an issue with far-reaching impacts. Illegal fishing refers to fishing that is in direct defiance of laws and regulations, unreported fishing refers to catch that isn’t reported to the authorities, and unregulated fishing refers to fishing in areas without proper regulations for fishing. In Africa, the waters once fished by native people are now crowded with illegal ships and trawlers from all around the world. 40% of the fish coming from Africa is illegal, the highest number in the world. This IUU fishing has cost Africa an estimated 1 billion USD in loss and has contributed significantly to the hunger crisis in the area. Lack of funding in developing nations, often divided by war, terrorism, and poverty, means that there’s no way to monitor these illegal ships. Fishing in these areas not only provides food for the locals but also jobs. This economic impact added to the strain of an already war-torn and impoverished nation such as Somalia, and many citizens have turned to alternatives. The notorious ‘Somali pirates claim that they are actually fishermen, who, when fed up with dwindling catches, turned to piracy. Other alternatives fishermen may turn to include crime or migration to other parts of Africa, which all add up to a much greater social, economic, and political impact.
While fish are the most visible victims of the fishing industries, the issue of bycatch adds another, more troubling dimension. Bycatch is defined by the NOAA as “discarded catch of marine species and unobserved mortality due to a direct encounter with fishing vessels and gear.” Essentially, it’s the wildlife that gets caught accidentally by fishing nets or gets tangled in gear and then is discarded by the fishermen. Bycatch affects both fish and marine mammals and can cause serious injury or death to these animals. Bycatch is monitored mainly by human observers aboard fishing vessels, but due to foul play and negligence, many of the statistics we have are outdated or inaccurate. Global bycatch is estimated to make up 40% of the global catch, totaling 63 billion pounds of marine life. In the US, there are very few bycatch regulations, many of which are flouted by fishing companies. In the Gulf of Mexico, federal fisheries managers turn a blind eye to shrimp trawls killing tens of thousands of sea turtles by discarding them when they’re caught. In the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, 300 pilot whales and almost 700 sea turtles were killed due to bycatch in just one year. Sharks are especially vulnerable to overexploitation, with almost 17 million sharks killed due to bycatch in the ’90s. Bycatch is actually the most dangerous risk to sea turtles; in fact, in Hawaii, the North Pacific Loggerhead population declined by 50-90% over the last 50 years due to a local fishery. Yearly, bycatch is estimated to kill 300,000 small whales and dolphins, 250,000 endangered loggerhead turtles and critically endangered leatherback turtles, and 300,000 seabirds, including 17 albatross species. This highlights not only the scale but also the diversity of the species that have been lost to bycatch. Because of a combination of poor regulation, foul play, and negligence, bycatch has become one of the most worrying aspects of the fishing industry.
Overfishing, one of the most well-known flaws of the fishing industry, has driven the decline of marine life significantly. Overfishing is defined by National Geographic as “the taking of wildlife from the sea at rates too high for fished species to replace themselves.” It began in the 1800s when the whale population was driven to near extinction by hunters looking for whale blubber. In the 1900s, species such as Atlantic cod, Atlantic herring, and California sardines were once again overfished to the brink of extinction. Due to overfishing, 29% of the world’s fish stocks have declined, and 61% of them have been fully fished. Overfishing impacts the economy, the ocean, and people. In Florida, the saltwater fishing industry is worth $9.2 billion USD, and the coral reefs bring in $375 billion USD each year. Overfishing could significantly reduce these revenues due to the number of fish depleting. Keeping our oceans healthy leads to a stronger coastal economy; overfishing could result in a loss of employment and food crisis for 60 million people in the United States alone. There’s also the environmental impact of these problems. Coral reefs, which increase ocean diversity and protect the coastlines, are a source of food, income, and protection for half a billion people globally. Overfishing means there will be less fish to support the reefs, and the fishing gear often damages reefs as well. The loss of so many fish species degrades the overall health of the ocean, and when keystone species are lost, the effect ripples throughout the food web. Overfishing, which goes hand in hand with bycatch, is an incredibly prevalent issue in today’s world, and it is destructive to almost all aspects of the ocean.
The issues outlined here are a few of many. The fishing industry has damaged the ocean, the economy, and more. However, there is still hope. The problem of IUU fishing can be addressed by better coordinating the coast guards in these areas, calling for regional cooperation to solve this issue, and negotiating better, fairer contracts between fishing companies and the countries whose waters are being illegally fished. To address bycatch, there needs to be more stringent laws and regulation in fisheries, as well as better data and analysis of these figures. Finally, to help combat overfishing, there can be limits to the number of fish caught, more protected marine areas, and better monitoring of fishing trawlers. Everyone, whether it’s the government, the fishing companies, or even everyday people, plays a role in this issue, and it’s our responsibility to advocate for change in the fishing industry. Organizations to support include Sea Shepherd, an organization aimed at preventing illegal fishing; Oceana, an organization committed to restoring the world’s oceans; and World Wildlife Fund, an organization committed to conserving nature and protecting the diversity of life found on Earth. Resources to educate yourself further include Seaspiracy, a documentary on Netflix detailing the problems with the fishing industry, fisheries.noaa.gov, oceana.org, and edf.org.
Bibliography
"5-Biggest Fishing Companies In 2020". The Science Agriculture, 2021, https://scienceagri.com/5-biggest-fishing-companies-in- 2020/. Accessed 22 June 2021.
Research, Allied. "Global Fish Farming Market To Reach $376.48 Billion By 2025: AMR". Globenewswire News Room, 2021, https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/01/13/2158043/0/en/Global-Fish-Farming-Market-to-Reach-376-48-billion-by-2025-AMR.html. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"The Fight For West Africa’S Fish". Ft.Com, 2020, https://www.ft.com/content/0eb523ca-5d41-11ea-8033-fa40a0d65a98. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Understanding Illegal, Unreported, And Unregulated Fishing". NOAA, 2021, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-illegal-unreported-and-unregulated-fishing. Accessed 22 June 2021.
Hatcher, Jessica. "Illegal Overfishing And The Return Of Somalia’S Pirates". Aljazeera.Com, 2021, https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2015/10/6/illegal-overfishing-and-the-return-of-somalias-pirates. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Safeguarding Africa’S Fishing Waters". Africa Renewal, 2009, https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/july-2009/safeguarding-africa%E2%80%99s-fishing-waters. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Understanding Bycatch". NOAA, 2021, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-bycatch. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Wasted Catch: Unsolved Problems In U.S. Fisheries". Oceana, 2014, https://oceana.org/reports/wasted-catch-unsolved-problems-us-fisheries. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Overfishing -- National Geographic". Environment, 2021, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/critical-issues-overfishing. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Facts & Figures: The Cold Hard Facts About Overfishing - Fish Forward (WWF)". Fish Forward (WWF), 2021, https://www.fishforward.eu/en/topics/facts-figures/. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"How Does Overfishing Threaten Coral Reefs?". Oceanservice.Noaa.Gov, 2021, https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral-overfishing.html. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"The Impact Of Overfishing On The Economy, Ecosystem And Social Life | South Florida Media Network". Sfmn.Fiu.Edu, 2021, http://sfmn.fiu.edu/the-impact-of-overfishing-on-the-economy-ecosystem-and-social-life/. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Overfishing And Destructive Fishing Threats | Reef Resilience". Reefresilience.Org, 2021, https://reefresilience.org/stressors/local-stressors/overfishing-and-destructive-fishing-threats/. Accessed 22 June 2021.
"Overfishing". World Wildlife Fund, 2021, https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing. Accessed 22 June 2021.
Strauss, K., 2014. Report: Overfishing bad for fish, but worse for the economy. [online] edf.org. Available at: <https://www.edf.org/blog/2014/04/02/report-overfishing-bad-fish-worse-economy> Accessed 22 June 2021