The History Of Overfishing

Throughout the culinary world, fish is prized as a food item for both the upper echelons and the lower echelons of society. Its versatility, taste, high nutrition, and varying degrees of affordability make this unique creature an extremely popular choice of protein throughout the world. From common and bountiful fish like the illish to the rare and highly sought after fish like the Pacific Bluefin tuna, fish fit the palates of many people worldwide. Ever since humans learned the ancient art of fishing and crafting nets, humans have constantly hunted and harvested fish to satiate their appetite for the distinct umami taste that fish provides. In the past, all species of fish and shellfish were extremely bountiful and therefore did not face …show more content…
As mentioned above, before the Industrial Age, fisheries had little to no impact on fish populations because of the fact that fishermen were using slow and old methods to catching fish. But when steel ships powered by electricity and advanced weaponry were introduced, fishing became highly mechanized and extremely intensive. Along with this, advances in transportation and refrigeration meant that more people were getting access to fresh fish and were developing the palate for it and so the consumer need for fish skyrocketed to new levels. With this, fish populations were being depleted faster than they could be replenished and within a short amount of time, many of the once abundant fish species had been reduced to small, isolated populations. To tackle the problem of overfishing, three big reliable methods can be used to stop overfishing and prevent major fish species from going extinct. The first method is known as the catch share and this is a management system where fisherman and fisheries are granted a secure specific amount of fish so that competition between various fisheries and fishermen and reduced and through this wild fish populations are protected . The second method is known as aquaculture and this is when fish are reared or raised in an artificial setting designed by humans until they are harvested . The third and last method is to improve current fishing techniques and eliminate harmful fishing practices that can lead to overfishing. Various scientific studies have shown that these methods can be incredibly useful in stopping over fishing and preventing the extinction of certain fish species. However, each method has their pros and cons and so a mixture of these methods would prove useful in fully reaping the benefits of each method listed