Overfishing: The Impact of Supply and Demand
Photo by Isabela Kronemberger
Overfishing is a word that is used loosely to describe mass fishing at a scale that the ecosystem cannot keep up with. There are many reasons why overfishing happens: government subsidies, faulty regulations, lack of law enforcement, and a disproportionate number of large fisheries in first-world countries.
The worst part about all of this is that the very regulations and procedures put in place to prevent overfishing are the same ones causing it to happen. Let’s talk about it.
What Is Overfishing? Why Is It a Problem?
In many cases, overfishing is nothing more than an industry's reaction to supply and demand. There’s an increased need for fishing in the marketplace and the result is that fisheries need to increase their output to keep up. It makes sense.
The problem is that people are eating twice as much fish as they did 50 years ago and it shows.
So, how do we keep up with this demand? The government did so by offering subsidies to large fisheries. Now they don’t have to worry about paying for their fuel and the majority of overheads that go into running a large-scale fish operation.
But what does that do for the little guy? What does that do for the small fishing community on the coast that relies on fish for 90% of their protein and 100% of their economy? All it does is hurt them. They can’t keep up with the large megaships and their government subsidies.
Another huge problem is the depleting fish population. We’re fishing them faster than they can reproduce. It’s believed that around 90% of the world's fish stocks are gone and we could potentially face a dire situation as soon as 2048 as a result. This could mean a large portion of the world's fish becoming endangered.
What Causes Overfishing?
The big question many people have is “why is there overfishing”? Why can’t we just accept the fish that we get and adhere to catch limits like we should? If there happens to be a nationwide tilapia shortage, is it really that big of a deal? Remember that money and greed tend to drive most corruption and where there is money to be made, there is corruption.
Here are some of the other factors that drive overfishing:
Regulations - While there are regulations in place to prevent overfishing, they’re almost impossible to enforce. Not to mention the fact that a lot of these operations could be inside jobs with money exchanging hands. We could never know that for sure, but this is likely occurring.
Unreported Fishing - Regulations force commercial fisherman to keep logs of everything they catch but a lot of their catch goes unreported. This is one scenario that applies to underdeveloped nations because in some cases, they don’t have the same rules and regulations as we do.
Subsidies - As mentioned, subsidies are a big problem because they power the large fisheries to take control of the water. They can now operate at a level that the little guy could never keep up with. They’re doing it on borrowed money and making a killing off of destroying our oceans.
A Final Word
While this may paint a grim picture, it is important to know, as consumers and citizens that even you as an individual can get involved and make a difference. Technology like smart nets and advanced tagging help us not only save marine life, but identify things we can do going forward. If you’re concerned and interested in getting involved, here are some fantastic organizations to get you started:
This group exists to preserve all natural systems and the life that depend on those systems. They tackle critical problems with the environment by developing partnerships grounded in science.
This is an independent global campaign designed to change our behaviors as they pertain to conservation and the environment. They work primarily in areas of global warming, deforestation, and overfishing.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
This non-profit was established in 1977, with the goal of ending habitat destruction and the slaughter of our world’s oceans. They focus on protecting endangered species such as seals, sharks, and dolphins. They use investigative strategies to expose illegal fishing.
For more information or to read the complete article on overfishing, head over to anglers.com.
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