Environmental Impact on Fisheries

Trash, toxic chemicals, and plastics of all kinds are being dumped into our oceans and waterways every day which obviously has a detrimental effect on fisheries and the ocean ecosystem. Also, every year, more and more people are fishing in our oceans, both commercially and for pleasure, and reeling in about three trillion fish every year. This is way more than is necessary but for the commercial fishing industry, this means money, but the effects on fish populations are alarming.

Impact of Commercial Fishing on the Ocean Ecosystem

The impact of commercial fishing on the ocean ecosystem is due to overfishing. Fish populations have collapsed throughout the world because of this. The commercial fishing industry is killing fish in large numbers to the point there is now a push for evolutionary selection pressure. These types of changes can help certain fish species survive but will then pose a problem for the people who depend on the fish.

Fish make it to grocery stores, restaurants and other places via one of two ways: commercial fishing or commercial fisheries, also known as aquafarming. Both of these methods have negative effects on the environment.

Most of the fish that we eat today are raised through fisheries that are located either on land or inside of huge cages that have been placed right into the ocean. In these fisheries, the fish spend their entire lives, which is usually around two years, confined into spaces that are tightly packed with other fish. Because of this, the water can become very toxic and filled with pesticides, antibiotics, feces, and parasites and can spread to surrounding areas. This means that the ones that are housed in cages in the ocean are then contaminating our oceans with these pollutants. Wild fish populations are getting sick and dying from these chemicals and parasites that are spread to them through these aquafarms via the water. According to one study, a fish farm that is only about two acres in size can produce as much waste as a city full of 10,000 people. That is a lot of pollution.

Not only do fisheries create a very large amount of waste but they also contribute to even more industrial and commercial fishing. This is due to the fact that many of the fish that are raised on these types of Aquafarms are predators; they eat the smaller fish to survive. This makes it necessary for billions of wild fish to be caught to feed the fish that are being farmed. For example, it can take several pounds of fish taken from the ocean to produce just one pound of farmed tuna or salmon.

These farms are just one way that the impact of commercial fishing on the ocean ecosystem is increasing. Commercial fishing also has detrimental impacts on the ocean’s environment. Many commercial fishing operations utilize a technique that is referred to as “bottom trawling.” This technique consists of fishing boats that are put into the ocean to drag the bottom of the ocean floor to scrape up fish, and any other species in their reach, which disrupts the fragile ocean habitats and ecosystems that should not be disrupted.

Another way that there is an impact of commercial fishing on the ocean ecosystem is through what is called longline fishing. To conduct this type of fishing, boats drag long fishing lines through the water that have many fishing hooks attached to them. The fishing lines are about 50 feet long and catch not only fish but turtles, whales, seabirds, and other species. These animals then get thrown overboard to die.

How can humans reduce their effect on fisheries?

It is more important than ever for humans to reduce their effect on fisheries since the disastrous results of commercial fishing are devastating the fish population to the point where there will not be any eventually, possibly within the next 30 years. Not only will we not have any fish, but it will affect the ocean’s ecosystem which plays a part in regulating the earth’s temperature and providing oxygen for humans. To reduce our impact on fisheries, the main thing we can do is to eat less fish And speak out against the methods that are being used by the commercial fishing industry that is devastating the fish population of our earth.

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