The seas and oceans around the world are currently facing numerous environmental problems (such as pollution) that significantly affect fisheries’ performance. One of the problems that has gained the most relevance in recent years is overfishing. The overexploitation of natural resources It is not exclusive to the marine medium, it also occurs in the terrestrial environment, with livestock and agricultural activities, and endangers food security, among other aspects. However, in the seas special importance for the low social awareness that exists. The fishing management centered on the improvement of fish populations, is failing because of the exclusion that has been made of the actors directly involved in the environment: the fishermen.
If you want to understand what overfishing is and what its consequences are, among other details, consult this ecology article in which it is exposed What is overfishing, its causes, consequences and solutions.
What is overfishing
The overfishing or excessive fishing occurs when the ability to Sea and Ocean Resources Extraction exceeds its ability to renew. In other words this phenomenon implies a excessive capture level of a species if we take into account the time it has to regenerate.
The overweight, as FAO establishes, can occur in 3 different ways, affecting:
- Overweight to the growth of populations: It occurs when the youth of the species subject to fishing are captured before reaching the necessary stature.
- Overweight recruitment: It takes place when fishing reduces the number of adult individuals who spawn to the point that species maintenance cannot be ensured.
- Overweight ecosystems: This type of overweight transforms mature and efficient marine ecosystems with high biomass into other unstable and inefficient, which are of little biomass.
Causes and consequences of overweight
The envelope of the fleets of the different species is largely caused by the measures and regulations of the common fishing policy (PPC) aimed at the time to the renewal of the European fleet. With this, boats increased their tonnage and power and, in addition, introduced new technologies to increase productivity. However, far from improving the efficiency of the activity, oversized vessels accelerated the process of exploitation of seas and oceansexceeding the maximum sustainable performance (RMS) of some populations of commercial species. Therefore, what are the causes of overweight and How it affects overweight to the environment?
Causes of overweight
- The poor management of fisheries, as discussed above.
- Illegal and unregulated fishing.
- Indiscriminate fishing.
- The use of less selective arts.
- The world population and food demand (fish and shellfish in this case) growing.
OVERPEAL CONSEQUENCES
- Loss of biodiversity and imbalance of marine ecosystems.
- Approximately 80% of fish populations are overexploited.
- Decrease in populations in general and, in particular, of those of marine predators, this being one of the causes of the proliferation of jellyfish in the Mediterranean.
Soprepesca solutions
If you have reached this article asking about how to end the overfish, you will be interested in this section in which it is exposed What measures should be adopted to avoid overfishing.
To reduce fishing intensity, it is important to properly manage quotas and space-time closers from a sustainable approach. This implies raising fishermen communities to management and governance scenarios, allowing:
- The integration of these people, their knowledge, interests and concerns in the design of plans, programs and projects, as well as in the resolution of environmental, economic and social problems.
- Better communication of fishermen with administrations and the scientific community (technicians) in order to address fishing issues from an integrated and multidisciplinary dimension.
- Promote the commitment and participation of fishermen, which after all, are the most direct media managers.
- The legitimation of fishing regulations and, therefore, a greater success of them.
In addition, it is necessary to know other complementary alternatives to those exposed to know How to avoid overfishing:
- Information and awareness campaigns aimed at fishermen and other agents involved in fishing management.
- Regulate other non -professional fishing activities, such as recreational fishing, which also impact the ecosystem and its biodiversity.
- Support the minor arts fishing (more selective and respectful of the marine environment), braking and reversing the recession he is currently facing.
- Develop and implement less pernicious doors for seabed in drag vessels, as some fisheries in the Valencian Community are being raised. In this other article you can learn more about what drag is.
If you want to read more articles similar to Overweight: What is, causes, consequences and solutionswe recommend that you enter our category of other environment.
