Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW

University of Texas at El Paso

Overfishing: Literature Review
Giovanni Hermosillo
RWS 1302

Abstract

LITERATURE REVIEW

Humans have used fishing as one of the primary methods of survival since human
history can remember. From having to patiently wait and catch fish with bare hands to
equipment that indicates whether the particular species the fisherman is looking for is
nearby. The evolution of fishing equipment can be seen as a sign of how important fish
are to humans. Many countries depend heavily on fish for their dietary and financial
needs. Some argue that although there are more people that can afford to eat due to large
amounts of fish being brought in everyday, the affect it is having in the ocean can have
greater consequences for humans. The purpose of this literature review is to explain what
overfishing is exactly, what the effects of it are, and what is being done to prevent it.

Introduction

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Overfishing.org defines the term overfishing as catching too much fish for the
system to support which leads to an overall degradation to the system. In other words,
catching too much fish that they cant naturally replenish causing low population
numbers and possibly extinction. The ocean covers about 72 percent of the planet, and is
home to hundreds of thousands of different kinds of species. Overfishing is among the
top threats to these marine ecosystems and species all over the world. It is a global issue
that requires the contribution and attention of all of the nations in order to properly work.
For many years it seemed like humans were just able to keep fishing as if there
were an infinite supply of fish, but research showed that this is not correct. The problem
of overfishing can be dated back to the 11th century (G, 2015), and it caused a lot of
destruction of ecosystems and stocks of fish were greatly exhausted. Since then there has
been other signs of overfishing such as low stock numbers due to new technology that
makes whaling and sealing feasible. Currently, more than 63 percent of the worlds fish
stocks are considered overfished, and fisheries are heading to different areas to capture
fish (G, 2015). This can be a great problem to have considering all the people and
cultures that depend on fish as their primary source of food protein.
The three major questions that need to be considered concerning overfishing are:
1. What are the ecological consequences of certain species, such as sharks, going
extinct?
2. How has new technology impacted overfishing?
3. How has overfishing helped or hurt humans economically?

Consequences of low stocks

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The ocean, just like the land, has a food web that dictates how the ecosystem will
work. This means what species will prey on others in order for them to survive and keep
a balance in their ecosystem. Whenever there is a low population of a particular species,
the other that preys on them must move on to another species in order for their survival.
This means having to sometimes relocate to other areas where they are available.
Whenever a species is in an environment it isnt used to being in it may take some time to
for them to adapt. This can be problematic for species and population numbers start to
decline rapidly. One species having low population numbers will begin to have effect on
other species that are lower and even higher on the food web.
Being the apex predator, the shark is at the very top of the marine food web and
they help balance the population of other large species in the ocean. They are essential to
the ocean and to all the species that live in it. Removing them can have a domino style
effect on all other species by not performing their roles in the ecosystem. All kinds of
sharks are being fished for their fins and nothing else. When caught, they are taken onboard and have all of the fins removed, then thrown back in. This causes them to die due
to lose of blood, or suffocation from not being able to swim for oxygen, as shown in
Figure 1 below.

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Figure 1. The figure shows a shark drowning after having its fins removed. Retrieved from
http://bawabali.com/our-programs/responsible-tourism/shark-finning/

Since each fin can be worth up to $50,000(USD), fishermen do not waste time with the
rest of the body. The fins are then shipped to many places throughout the world, but the
primary buyer and consumer is China. China uses the fins for a traditional meal primarily
served on special occasions considering each soup can cost up to $100(USD) per bowl.
The soup is seen is delicacy and is symbolic of class and wealth. Other than the fact that
millions of sharks are slaughtered for this soup, many criticize the shark fin soup by
stating that the fin adds no flavor and is mainly used to add texture to the dish. Just like
the sharks there are many other species out there that are being caught in large amounts,
this is primarily due to newer and better technology being created.
New Technology
Fishing equipment has gotten significantly better as time has passed, and this has
made fishing, both for sport and for survival, easier for humans. Boats were very simple
in design, and in what they were capable of doing in earlier years. Many early boats were
lost or destroyed at sea due to the simplicity of their design. Today, fishing boats are able

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to carry larger loads, make longer trips, are equipped with amazing technology, and
withstand most of the extreme weather that they experience in the middle of the ocean.
The addition of refrigeration on boats allowed fishermen to be able to last longer out at
sea without having to worry about the spoilage of the fish. This means more fish can be
brought back to land with less waste, and almost immediately sold for profit. Around 20
percent of the fish captured in North America has spoiled in the supply chain before even
reaching the consumer (Fish, 2016). In countries where freezing technology isnt as
common due to the economy, waste is reported to be at around 30 percent. The fishing
industry is a massive industry, and it will continue to invest to improve the technology
they currently have in order to increase revenue. Just the United States commercial
fishing industry, alone, is estimated to be worth over 30 billion dollars (USD).
Boats have been equipped with better equipment that will help the fishermen
locate more fish. Some of this equipment allows the captain and his crew locate rare to
find species under the surface (Fish, 2016). This technology is capable of locating many
species on deeper waters than before, and it is safe to say that fishermen are doing what
they can to get their hands on it. Another piece of equipment that significantly improved
fishing was the use of large nets. Large nets make it easier to haul in fish in large amounts
without having to wait very long or being really that accurate. Fishermen will cast the net
and capture not just the fish they intended to get, but also everything close to it. This is
referred to as bycatch and is normally very wasteful. It is estimated that 27 million metric
tons of bycatch are caught annually around the world (Fish, 2016).

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7
Economic Impact

Considering marine species make up such a large part of the animal protein
humans consume, it can also be understandable that they also have a great affect to
economies throughout the world. One of the main points for overfishing is that it gives
jobs to many people and they should be allowed to continue to fish. It is estimated that 35
million people worldwide work in the fishing industry, an industry valued around $76
billion (USD) in 2000 (Organization, 2014). Many people rely on the ocean in order to
make a living, from fishermen to fish salesmen all the way to people that sell fishing
equipment. Although the industry is valued so high many of the fishermen arent making
much money. This is due to a great part of the revenue coming from subsidies given to
the industry by many countries (Fund, 2016). Meaning that not only are large amounts of
fish being removed from the ocean, but also many of the fishermen are barely making
ends meet.
Overfishing causes a great supply of fish to be available for sale and this can be
viewed as a good thing. Fish, like most things, will then become more obtainable to the
average person due the lower prices caused by the vast amounts of supply. Even people
that are hundreds of miles away from the ocean are able to avoid the high prices for fish
that otherwise would be considered a luxury. However, the opposite applies whenever the
supply of these fish drops. Fish then turn into a really expensive meal and can rarely be
found in some places. A good example of this is the Bluefin Tuna which the population
dropped 97 percent in recent years (Staff, 2016). This has caused the prices of this fish to
skyrocket, reports of a single fish being sold for up to $1.76 million at the first auction of
the year. (USD) (Mukai & Yamaguchi, 2013). This kind of tuna is very popular in Japan

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and the Japanese consume 80 percent of the tuna worldwide. It is mainly used in popular
dishes such as sushi, which is a traditional meal in Japan.

International laws are what can help the issue of overfishing be properly
addressed. The ocean covers approximately 72 percent of the planet, meaning there is a
lot of water that needs to be policed in order for fisheries to be properly regulated. This is
one of the greatest challenge environmentalists and marine biologist face when
attempting to save species with low populations. It is difficult for governments to protect
species that are living within their coastal areas, let alone species in the middle of great
amounts of water. Due to the high prices and high demand for endangered fish, many
people turn to crime by capturing these species and selling them at black markets all over
the world.
Conclusion
The ocean can be seen as another world due to its size, and the creatures living in
it. In order to be able to study these species, and fully understand the ocean we must first
have to take care of it. The effects overfishing can have on the world, and the people
living in it are very costly. Even after considering the positive effects overfishing has on
economies and prices, it can be seen that the negative consequences outweigh the
positive. Overfishing should be addressed by the nations of the world and continue to
push against it.

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9
References

2015, G. (2015). A brief history of overfishing. Retrieved July 1, 2016, from

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/seafood/understan
ding-the-problem/overfishing-history/
2015, G. (2015). Overfishing. Retrieved July 1, 2016, from
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/fit-for-

the-

future/overfishing/
Figure 1 Shark Finning - BAWA | Bali animal welfare association. Retrieved July 1,
2016, from http://bawabali.com/our-programs/responsible-tourism/shark-finning/
Fish, F. of. (2016). Fish 101: Overfishing. Retrieved July 1, 2016, from
http://www.futureoffish.org/resources/fish-101/overfishing
Fund, W. W. (2016). Overfishing | threats | WWF. Retrieved July 1, 2016, from
http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing
Mukai, A., & Yamaguchi, Y. (2013, January 6). Japan sushi chain pays record $1.76
Million for tuna at auction. . Retrieved from
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-01-06/japan-sushi- chainpaysrecord-1-76-million-for-tuna-at-auction
Organization, I. L. (2004, July 2). Danger at sea - working in the fishing sector.
Retrieved July 1, 2016, from http://www.ilo.org/global/about-theilo/newsroom/features/WCMS_075579/lang--en/index.htm
Staff, E. (2016, April 20). Theres horrible news for sushi lovers who Love Bluefin
tuna. Retrieved July 1, 2016, from News, http://nextshark.com/bluefindown- 97-sushi/

tuna-