The fishing industry is a billion dollar enterprise that provides livelihood and survival for billions of people. According to a 2012 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the fishing industry is worth over $200 billion and products of this industry provide 3 billion people over 20 percent of their total protein consumed. Without question, this is an invaluable industry that affects people worldwide. However, trends do not look favorable for the longevity of the industry, with some experts warning that fisheries globally can collapse as early as 2050.
With so many problems plaguing our oceans, overfishing threatens to destroy many species and has already done irreparable damage to species like the Bluefin Tuna, Swordfish, and Sturgeon. These species fall under the “large predatory fish” (LPF) category, a group that has been over 90 percent overfished. Large predatory fish are highly sought after, given the high price they fetch; the prospect of making large profit led to nonstop fishing of these species, robbing them the time necessary to breed and repopulate.
It is not only the LPF that are being overfished. Fishing fleets per country greatly outnumber the demand. For example, the UK, with over 6000 ships, has one of the largest fishing fleets in the European Union (EU). However, 2012 data shows the UK having a 5 percent increase in the total amount of product landed, yet with a 7 percent decrease in value. This proves that an increase in the number of fishing vessels does not translate to an increase in the catch they wish to land. Furthermore, the increase in fishing fleets means another unfortunate consequence: by-catch. By-catch is simply defined as “the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species,” and is a major problem plaguing the current fishing industry.
Fishing fleets go out to sea with specific goals in mind, aware that only certain species will return them a profit. Thus, they only keep the fish that will net them the greatest profit and dispose of any other species that might be caught by accident. By-catch, according to experts, can comprise of anywhere from 8 to 25 percent of global catch. These animals tossed overboard can range from turtles to sharks and inedible fish, though some edible fish that do not fit the catch criteria are also tossed back. This practice is not only extremely wasteful, but destroys certain species that have long reproductive cycles.
Along with overfishing, fishing practices, like bottom trawling, have destroyed the sea beds. The UN Secretary General has already warned about the implications of this practice, citing that over 95 percent of the damage done to ocean ecosystems is a result of bottom trawling.
Changing the practices and mentalities of those involved in the fishing industry must happen if humanity is to have any hope of securing thriving life in the oceans, since current trends reveal a future where the fishing industry has collapsed. The future of our oceans depends on new international treaties, overseen by relevant agencies like the UNEP and FAO, to reverse the decline of our oceans. These treaties can place limits on catches, mandate lower by-catch and ban to bottom trawling.
Geoffrey Si is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University, currently working for the United Nations, First Committee (Disarmament). As a research fellow at the Geneva office of the United Nations he researched and wrote an article on the current state of oceans.
Photo: Marco Bernardini (cc).
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The Plague of Overfishing: Global Fisheries Predicted to Collapse by 2050

June 27, 2014
The fishing industry is a billion dollar enterprise that provides livelihood and survival for billions of people. According to a 2012 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the fishing industry is worth over $200 billion and products of this industry provide 3 billion people over 20 percent of their total protein consumed. Without question, this is an invaluable industry that affects people worldwide. However, trends do not look favorable for the longevity of the industry, with some experts warning that fisheries globally can collapse as early as 2050.
With so many problems plaguing our oceans, overfishing threatens to destroy many species and has already done irreparable damage to species like the Bluefin Tuna, Swordfish, and Sturgeon. These species fall under the “large predatory fish” (LPF) category, a group that has been over 90 percent overfished. Large predatory fish are highly sought after, given the high price they fetch; the prospect of making large profit led to nonstop fishing of these species, robbing them the time necessary to breed and repopulate.
It is not only the LPF that are being overfished. Fishing fleets per country greatly outnumber the demand. For example, the UK, with over 6000 ships, has one of the largest fishing fleets in the European Union (EU). However, 2012 data shows the UK having a 5 percent increase in the total amount of product landed, yet with a 7 percent decrease in value. This proves that an increase in the number of fishing vessels does not translate to an increase in the catch they wish to land. Furthermore, the increase in fishing fleets means another unfortunate consequence: by-catch. By-catch is simply defined as “the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species,” and is a major problem plaguing the current fishing industry.
Fishing fleets go out to sea with specific goals in mind, aware that only certain species will return them a profit. Thus, they only keep the fish that will net them the greatest profit and dispose of any other species that might be caught by accident. By-catch, according to experts, can comprise of anywhere from 8 to 25 percent of global catch. These animals tossed overboard can range from turtles to sharks and inedible fish, though some edible fish that do not fit the catch criteria are also tossed back. This practice is not only extremely wasteful, but destroys certain species that have long reproductive cycles.
Along with overfishing, fishing practices, like bottom trawling, have destroyed the sea beds. The UN Secretary General has already warned about the implications of this practice, citing that over 95 percent of the damage done to ocean ecosystems is a result of bottom trawling.
Changing the practices and mentalities of those involved in the fishing industry must happen if humanity is to have any hope of securing thriving life in the oceans, since current trends reveal a future where the fishing industry has collapsed. The future of our oceans depends on new international treaties, overseen by relevant agencies like the UNEP and FAO, to reverse the decline of our oceans. These treaties can place limits on catches, mandate lower by-catch and ban to bottom trawling.
Geoffrey Si is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University, currently working for the United Nations, First Committee (Disarmament). As a research fellow at the Geneva office of the United Nations he researched and wrote an article on the current state of oceans.
Photo: Marco Bernardini (cc).