Overfishing JUNE 2014 | Page 6

overfishing over done

The impact of overfishing on the environment and economy have great affects on one another. The effects on the environment due to overfishing causes a shift in the food web. As a fish becomes in high consumer demands , more and more begin fishing for that particular fish until few are even alive. This strategies of fishing have affected sharks, tuna and billfish,which have had a substantial influence on the structure and function of ecological systems, both directly by regulating prey populations and indirectly through the interactions between their prey and other members of the ecosystem (1). As these predators are becoming highly-fished, the top predators disappear.It is estimated that in excess of 90% of all marine predators have already been lost from the oceans, including tuna, billfish, swordfish and sharks (4) . As for overhunting of herbivores it has resulted in uncontrolled growth of algae and seaweeds, which can smother corals and other bottom-dwelling organisms (2).

Not only does overfishing affect the fish population but also those who eat these fish. Overfishing effects sea lions, fur seals, and otters, as well as many types of bird because with the limited amounts of fish many of these animals are beginning to starve. As of the strategy of capturing these fish for example trawling has affected many creatures who end up mistakenly caught and thrown overboard dead or dying, including endangered fish and even vulnerable deep-sea corals which can live for several hundred years(6). Trawling has also affected the environment of the oceans by removing vegetation as well as animal life, and removes habitats and protection for species making these species more vulnerable(7).

By A. Castillo