Collapse of Commercially Important Fish Stocks

Human interference has been shown to impact the environment continuously negatively. Specifically, overfishing is a large component of endangerment in ocean ecosystems. Overfishing is not simply the fishing of species in the ocean, it is catching fish faster than they can reproduce, causing instability in ecosystems. However, even within overfishing, there are much more complex factors that affect ecosystems. Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is fishing that does not abide by governmental and international regulations. IUU fishing is a global problem that threatens ocean ecosystems and sustainable fisheries. Illegal fishing is an activity conducted against regional and international laws and regulations. Unreported fishing refers to activities that are not reported or are misreported to authorities. Finally, Unregulated fishing refers to fishing activities in areas where conservation or management measures have not been put in place. 

IUU fishing, along with other factors, has a dire impact on our ecosystems and environment. Removing species that play a key role in food webs can alter the dynamic of marine ecosystems. Every action taken can impact other species above and below them at the trophic levels. An example of this is fish in coral reefs. Many fish eat algae, keeping these reefs clean and thriving. However, if a sudden decline of these species were to occur, the algae would overgrow in these areas leading to the death of many corals and negatively impacting my species in the ecosystem. Additionally, wild fish populations have been declining in the past decades. In 1974, 90% of fish stocks were within biologically sustainable levels. Now, this figure has decreased to 66%. If this is not properly controlled, overfishing can cause a fish population to collapse, meaning there is less than 1-% of the original population.

A solution that was found to this issue was ocean fertilization or OIF. This is a natural process in which iron particles reach sunlit layers of the ocean and enhance primary productivity. OIF adds iron to nutrient-limited areas of the ocean and has been implemented to mitigate climate change and ideas related to carbon dioxide removal. Although this is only a small step towards mitigating the loss of biodiversity, more solutions are being found and are needed for the survival of ecosystems.  

“Tackling overfishing is a ‘win-win’ for our planet. By conserving our rich marine resources, we also enable more people to have the protein they need to live healthily.” -Dr Rohan Currey, MSC Chief Science and Standards Officer

Works Cited

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Home, https://www.fao.org/home/en. Accessed 4 June 2024.

Wikipedia, https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/oceans-at-risk/overfishing. Accessed 4 June 2024.

Wikipedia, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-illegal-unreported-and-unregulated-fishing. Accessed 4 June 2024.

“Overfishing Statistics.” The World Counts, https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/oceans/overfishing-statistics. Accessed 4 June 2024.

“restoring ocean life | Collapsing Fisheries.” Oceaneos, https://www.oceaneos.org/state-of-our-oceans/collapsing-fisheries-examples-of-different-species/. Accessed 4 June 2024.