Overfishing and the Strides Being Taken Towards Sustainable Fisheries
The Charger sits down with Eric Charak in an exclusive interview about the overfishing crisis worldwide.
Many scientists have predicted that most of the fish we eat today will no longer exist in the next fifty years. There are many people who go out on the weekend and fish for fun, but these aren’t the people causing the threats to the world’s fish population. The reality is that overfishing has become a global concern becuase more than two and a half times the amount of fish taken out of the ocean are needed for food. Overfishing is simply when fishing companies take more fish out than what the fished species can replace. Overfishing by companies is hurting people who eat fish on a daily basis, the animals in the ocean, and the natural environment of the ocean's.
Companies make a lot of money by bringing in a lot of fish at one time, but the fact is that overfishing has major consequences. Not only does it affect life in the oceans, but it also affects the economic well-being of the communities on the coast who rely on fish for their everyday lives.
Millions of people have relied on fish as protein for many centuries now. Up until recently, the oceans have been used as an endless supply of food. However, since unsustainable fishing practices have increased in the last 50 years, most fisheries are collapsing. In fact, over 85 percent of the world’s fisheries are in great need of a plan to restore them.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
This picture shows the act of overfishing that is harming the oceans.
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
Many fisherman are aware of the need to protect fish populations, but illegal fishing and regulatory problems still exist. One of the most common issues with overfishing is the open access policy to all fisheries. Because there are few property rights, fishermen have little motivation to leave the fish in the ocean. The lack of government regulations and not being able to follow fishing activity creates a big problem in the fishing industry. Illegal, unreported fishing is another major problem to the crisis, as it accounts for 20 percent of the world’s catch and is even up to 50 percent in some areas.
Overfishing is having a negative impact on fisheries all over the world because the top predators continue to be targeted, and marine communities are consistently getting destroyed. According to Greenpeace.org, this “causes an increase in smaller marine animals at the bottom of the food chain. This is having a big impact on the whole marine ecosystem. For example, as algae continues to grow, it will continue to hurt the coral reefs well-being". Overfishing is threatening the food security in all countries around the world.
The Charger was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk with Eric Charak, the President of Seaworld Puerto Rico. Run by Charak, Seaworld PR is a company that imports and distributes fish and seafood all across Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Seaworld PR sells to hotel chains, restaurants and supermarkets. After having a conversation with Charak, it is clear that the industry is well aware of the need for sustainability. Big companies like Wal-Mart and Marriott continuously request Seaworld PR to offer them more sustainable options, but Charak said, “the reality is that there is a limited offer of sustainable fisheries which most common/popular species do not fall into. This makes it difficult to please the requests of big companies." The issue they are having is that sustainable fishing practices are expensive, and customers are not willing to pay high prices. Outside of Seaworld PR, other companies are having a hard time getting the entire world to accept it.
In talking with Charak we are already seeing restrictions being set to preserve the fisheries. There are specific fish that have seasonal restrictions to protect their reproduction cycle worldwide. It is evident that overfishing is a serious problem in the world today and strides towards sustainable fishing are being taken, but it isn’t going to be cheap. The reason for this is because sustainable fishing limits what you can catch and when. Because fishermen are fishing less, they are asking for more money. The prices will just continue to rise until the fisheries have time to replenish itself.
The positives of overfishing are not worth nearly as much as the consequences for the future. It is time to stop overfishing and move to a more sustainable fishing practice worldwide.
Photo Courtesy of Alexa Charak
Photo of the President of Seaworld PR, Eric Charak.
Photo of a fishermen that has just caught a harmful specie in the deep sea.
The Charger, February 2017
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By Max Lahn