The Fishing Industy at a Glance
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Fishing is a primary form of protein for millions. But as our global population rises we are putting more stress on our oceans than ever. In this large industry, where few regulations protect the fish populations being depleted, fisherman are making giant profits and fish populations are suffering. Only 1.6% of our oceans are protected. With this lack of oversight, 20% of worldwide fishing is done illegally. Approximately $10 - 23 billion is made from pirating. Worldwide fishing fleets are 2/3 times the amount it would be if it were to be sustainable. The methods of fishing are also extremely detrimental. Bottom trawling is perhaps the worst. Ginormous nets, some up to 4 km long are scraped across the ocean floor, mixing up harmful sediment and destroying entire ecosystems. The animals at the ocean floor live long lives and do not reproduce in great amounts, so they are susceptible to disturbance. Between 1997 and 1999 in Alaskan waters alone, over one million pounds of deep water corals and sponges were annually destroyed due to bottom trawlers. Not only does it destroy the ocean floor but it results in massive amounts of bycatch. Bycatch amounts to about 40% of all catches. This is a tragic waste.
...if fishing rates continue
at this pace, all the world’s fisheries will have collapsed by the year 2048.
The oceans contain over 80 percent of all life on earth:
52% of fish stocks are fully exploited
20% are moderately exploited
17% are overexploited
7% are depleted
1% is recovering from depletion