“You are creating a squeeze that could theoretically collapse the entire system if you are overfishing at the top of the food chain and acidifying the bottom of the food chain.” (Sofina Carl).
Without a doubt, fisherman overfish oceans in search of large fish. Extensive unreported fishing that is nearly impossible to trace is harming the food chain, the ocean’s population, and the water itself, which is getting less and less suitable for fish life every day (a healthy fish population maintains the water clean through various biological processes).
Over a billion people worldwide, primarily from China, Vietnam, Japan, Myanmar, and Myanmar, rely mostly on seafood for their diet. The most common seafood is shrimp, salmon, tuna, and many other bony fish (such as oysters, mussels, snails, crabs, crayfish, cockles, scallops, periwinkles, sawfish, sturgeons, skates, rays, etc.). Alaskan pollok is the most popular seafood in the world.
The amount of seafood consumed has increased by approximately twofold during the past 50 years. FAO, 2016 reports that between 1960 and 2013, annual seafood intake increased from 10 kg to 20 kg. In 2014, it was predicted that 167 billion tons of seafood were produced worldwide (78% from fisheries and 22% from aquaculture sources).
Threatened Species and The End of Life:
The overfishing over the last few decades has had detrimental consequences on the populations of phytoplankton, corals, and turtles in addition to the entire food chain. A number of significant fish species, such as Grand Banks Cod and Bluefin Tuna, saw a reduction as a result of overfishing and damaging fishing methods. Every year, an endless number of marine mammals—particularly sharks, turtles, and seabirds—are hunted. Sharks are among the many species that are classified as endangered, such as the lute turtle Dermochelys coriacea and the highly endangered Cephalorhynchus hectori maui.
Overuse of a single species:
People do not like eating any sort of fish, shellfish, or turtles. The targeted species are those that are overharvested because they are among the few that are in constant demand. Unreviewed Fish cannot sustain themselves as a result of the disruption of the food chain caused by overfishing of targeted species.
Absence of Rules and Laws:
The incidence of overexploitation has exceeded 10 percent in recent years due only to inadequate fishing regulations and techniques. An environmental group called MedReAct, which stands for Mediterranean Recovery Action, released a report outlining the dire state of the Mediterranean Sea and placing the blame on the political inertia, lack of laws, and lax enforcement in Europe.
Foot trawling, which is brought on by big, heavy nets that snare fish in their path, poses a serious risk to small-scale fishermen as well as the fish population. They destroy the habitat of deep-sea animals, irreparably harming sponge grounds, coral reefs, and other ecosystems. Trawling, on the other hand, is essentially worthless because it catches young fish, undersized hake, and junk fish. The Maltese government,
Pollution from Plastics:
More than three thousand metric tons of plastic were present or floating in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, according to the UZS annual report. Seabirds consume indigestible plastic, which reduces stomach space, malnutrition, and eventually death. The largest destination for tourists and anglers is the Mediterranean Sea. During the yearly “Our Ocean Conference” in 2017, the government of Malta implemented several efficient steps aimed at reducing plastic pollution by including tourists, fishermen, and the plastic recycling industry.
Alternate Ocean Stress:
The growing, raising, and harvesting of particular species of fish in water is known as aquaculture. When it comes to safeguarding threatened species and providing roughly seven million to thirty three million tons of edible fish annually to meet the growing demand for fish and replenish stock levels, aquaculture is a godsend. Aquaculture is growing at a pace of 6% each year since it is a cheap source of seafood (FAO).