Flopping Fisheries
Since
1960 alone, there has been an increase in global fish harvests by 240%.
While the total number of fish harvest has grown, there has been a decline
in the rate of annual increase in fish catch from 6% in the 50's and 60's
to as little as 0.6% in 1995- 1996. This website intends to address the
impacts of population growth on fisheries decline and the importance of
this industry as a primary protein source for 1/6 of the world's population
(World Resources Institute).
Beyond the importance of fisheries for human consumption are the
impacts on the environment from fishing practices. Various methods and
practices within commercial marine fisheries greatly deteriorate ecological
and environmental health. Cascade fishing, for example, targets higher
trophic level fish that help balance the ecosystem, and works down the
trophic levels as the higher fish are overharvested. Once the higher fish
are overfished to commercial extinction, the fishing industry turns to
previously unexploited lower trophic fish, leaving imbalanced species
distributions and empty niches.
Additionally, certain methods of fishing cause environmental damage. Dredging
for bottom fish destroys benthic habitats and it is estimated that half
the world's continental shelf is damaged per year (Watling
and Norse 1998). Furthermore, nets and fishing line are often cut
and left to pollute the marine environment. It is estimated that one in
four animals caught in fishing gear is an unintended species (Monterey
Bay Aquarium) resulting in a total of 27 million tons of bycatch per
year (WWF).
This and other fishing methods also inadvertently remove non-target species
called bycatch.
To
deal with the decline in fisheries, management approaches have changed
significantly in recent times. Historically, systems of command and control
have dominated management regimes. These single species management approaches,
including gear restrictions and catch size limits, have not proved effective
at managing the world's fisheries. Today, managers are moving towards
ecosystem-based approaches, including marine protected areas. Additionally,
resource managers are employing market-based approaches like individual
transferable quotas (ITQs). This website will also examine historical
and current management methods through case studies that compare successful
and unsuccessful implementation of these management strategies.
This website is the product of Stephanie Hunt's, Daphne Pee's, and Tracy Parsons' Blood, Sweat, and most of all, Tears.