Ethical Fishing Practices

The ocean is viewed as a resource to be used at the pleasure of humans, but it is often forgotten that it can and will be used up. The amount of overfishing happening is atrocious. The worst part is that millions of pounds of marine life taken from the ocean are unintentional. Fishing companies go out with the intention of catching a select few species of fish and any other type of marine life that is captured in the process is considered bycatch. The methods that fishing companies use are unethical and extremely harmful. Two specific fishing methods stand apart from the rest: purse seine nets and bottom trawling. These practices create substantial amounts of bycatch ranging from sea turtles to sharks to sea birds. Not only is there an outrageous …show more content…
Nets rip through the ocean floor destroying everything that it comes in contact with. Coral reefs that have lived and supported life for hundreds of years are destroyed in less than a minute. Delicate ecosystems are destroyed due to the annihilation of their habitats. These two methods are just a sampling of the countless ill thought and irresponsible fishing tactics used throughout the world. In many areas dynamite and even cyanide are used as fishing tactics. At the very least, the fish caught through these practices are at least used. At no surprise, the phenomenon of ghost fishing has been increasing throughout the oceans. Ghost fishing is when fishing lines and nets break away from the commercial fishing boats, yet continue to catch fish. The animals caught in these eventually drown or die of exhaustion from being restrained. Marine life is being senselessly killed due to pure human error. Current fishing methods are inhumane and absurd. The rate at which fishing is occurring is irrational; overfishing has been impacting marine ecosystems for a long time and will soon be irreversible. Fishing companies must learn to treat the ocean and its creatures with