Overfishing: the practice of commercial and non-commercial fishing which depletes a fishery by catching so many adult fish that there aren’t enough remaining to breed and replenish the population. Currently, fishing operations around the world are two to three times larger than what our oceans can sustain. Our combined global fishing capacity, or the amount of fish that can be taken by a single unit whether that be a fisherman or a trawler, is enough to be evenly expanded over at least 4 planets similar in size to our own. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization releases a biennial report called The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA). In 2012 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) scientists reported 57.4% of the world’s fishing
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In the United States, almost half of all shrimp and salmon consumed by citizens is provided through this method. In the case of shellfish, they can be farmed a number of ways using bags, cages, or ropes. One of the most beneficial points about shellfish mariculture is that the system is self-sustaining because it doesn’t need feed, fertilizer, insecticides or anti-biotics in turn making the environmental impact of such an operation almost non-existent. In open ocean mariculture, fish are contained in pens, cages, and nets that are towed or float freely in the water. This type of operation requires special herbicides to be dumped in the water to curtail algae growth on the nets. The fish are also treated with a myriad of anti-biotics and/or steroids to help them reach marketable sizes at a much quicker rate to keep up with demand and to also reduce operational costs. Open ocean aquaculture does come at a cost to the environment in a few ways. The most major issue with this method of aquaculture is the waste generated by the farmed fish. A salmon farm of 200,000 can generate as much fecal matter, if not more, than a city with a population of 60,000. This fish sewage generated contains the uneaten food, feces and even diseases that usually drift down in concentration to the seafloor below before spreading to the surrounding areas. The diseases and pathogens created in the farms are entirely new to the native fish population of the region and exposure to such illness often spells certain death if contracted. Another problem with this method of aquaculture are the fish that escape the farms although the impact of said escapees depends on whether or not there are similar fish in the surro6unding environment or if they are even capable of successful reproduction. Researchers have tried their best to assuage the damage caused by escapees by
In the United States, almost half of all shrimp and salmon consumed by citizens is provided through this method. In the case of shellfish, they can be farmed a number of ways using bags, cages, or ropes. One of the most beneficial points about shellfish mariculture is that the system is self-sustaining because it doesn’t need feed, fertilizer, insecticides or anti-biotics in turn making the environmental impact of such an operation almost non-existent. In open ocean mariculture, fish are contained in pens, cages, and nets that are towed or float freely in the water. This type of operation requires special herbicides to be dumped in the water to curtail algae growth on the nets. The fish are also treated with a myriad of anti-biotics and/or steroids to help them reach marketable sizes at a much quicker rate to keep up with demand and to also reduce operational costs. Open ocean aquaculture does come at a cost to the environment in a few ways. The most major issue with this method of aquaculture is the waste generated by the farmed fish. A salmon farm of 200,000 can generate as much fecal matter, if not more, than a city with a population of 60,000. This fish sewage generated contains the uneaten food, feces and even diseases that usually drift down in concentration to the seafloor below before spreading to the surrounding areas. The diseases and pathogens created in the farms are entirely new to the native fish population of the region and exposure to such illness often spells certain death if contracted. Another problem with this method of aquaculture are the fish that escape the farms although the impact of said escapees depends on whether or not there are similar fish in the surro6unding environment or if they are even capable of successful reproduction. Researchers have tried their best to assuage the damage caused by escapees by