Overfishing: Reduce Fish Stocks Below an Acceptable Level

Overfishing is a major problem that affects the ecosystem and it occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. Overfishing can occur in any body of water from a pond to an ocean. Overfishing is also a non-sustainable use of oceans. The populations of many commercial fish species are severely depleted because of overfishing. Overfishing originated after World War II, which lead to expanding markets, newer technologies, and increased accuracy in finding fish (The Nature Conservancy, 2010). I think overfishing originated when fishermen started using bigger nets to catch more fish. I also think overfishing started when people fishermen started using fishing as there way of making money. The more fish they catch the more money a fisherman can make, which led to the start of overfishing. A management and sustainment plan that will alleviate overfishing is to establish networks of marine protected areas that serve as a refuge for species and protect critical habitat. This will allow species of fish to recover. Another plan would be to partner with fishers to improve our understanding of the interconnections between species and ecosystems — so that licensing, regulations, monitoring regimes, and fishing gear can be refined to minimize the damage to ecosystems 9 The Nature Conservancy, 2010). I think a good management and sustainment plan would be to give fishermen incentives to reduce the amount of fish they catch and to also reward them when they use responsible fishing practices. Overfishing can be a problem for both the fish and humans as well. According to Marine Conservation (1998-2010) “Foreign fishing fleets of enormous size and power from rich countries can overwhelm local people and deplete the fish stocks, causing further harm to the marine environment by disrupting the food chain. The more fish stocks become overexploited, the more fisheries must search for productive waters which are then quickly depleted (Sustainable