Overfishing Industry: A Case Study

With global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, and the development of urban areas extending into agricultural lands to support growing numbers of residents, there is pressure on the world’s food systems to produce food on less land with greater efficiency (Godfray et al., 2010). In addition to increasing urban developments, productive agricultural land is being lost due to environmental degradation caused by unstainable crop production practices, and more recently as a result of climate change (IPCC, 2007; Schmidhuber and Tubiello, 2007). Furthermore, food production from the oceans has been drastically reduced, with most fisheries being exploited at unsustainable rates (Pauly et al. 2003, Myers and Worm 2003, Worm et al. 2006, Worm et al. 2009). Along with overfishing, rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification resulting from climate change are expected to greatly reduce coral reef fisheries in the Pacific, the main food source for many communities, 20% by 2050 (Keener et al. 2012, Bell et al. 2013, Hooidonk et al. 2013). …show more content…
Loʻi were developed early in Hawai’i, around 1200 AD (Allen 1991, Kirch 2002, McElroy 2007), and Hawaiians practiced this type of agriculture at a larger scale than elsewhere in Polynesia (Kirch 1997). Ecosystems were modified to create terraces, which were flooded during cultivation by stream water or fresh springs (Handy 1940). Construction of lo‘i and irrigation systems required high labor inputs, but high productivity of the systems compensated for the elevated labor costs (Kirch 1997). Secondary crops, such as kō (Saccharum officinarum; sugarcane), maiʻa (Musa hybrids; banana), and kī (Cordyline fruticosa; ti), were often cultivated on the banks of the terraces, supplementing output even more (Handy