Fish are at risk of vanishing because of overfishing in the oceans and myriads of people are struggling to make ends meet. The enormous demand for fish and illegal and unreported catching of fish contribute to this ongoing problem. This essay will elaborate on three key causes of overfishing.
Firstly, the demand for fish globally underlines the importance for urgent solutions. For example, in several Scandinavian countries especially Norway, there is an extereme amount of fishing most likely because it is the underlying fundament of the country’s wealth and economic resources. To alleviate this problem, marine protected areas should be established, by doing so there will be less unwanted fishing. The most important policy in order to deal with this issue is to limit fishing to sustainable levels and it is important to take into account how much fish die per year and what amount of fish we have the right to catch without leading to overfishing.
People who catch fish in places where it is prohibited and who do not report their catch volume contribute to the second cause,illegal and unreported fishing. It has become a critical issue in developing countries where fishing is not supervised. In Turkey, for example, local people spend hours fishing in areas which the government does not prove illegal. To tackle this problem, more people should be educated about this field, in order to minimise illegal fishing. Many people fish on a daily basis, so having this new rule will lead to an improvement in the sphere of overfishing.
In summary, the enormous demand for fishing and illegal and reported fishing are the causes of overfishing. To deal with this causes, immediate steps should be taken, including the establishment of marine protected areas, limiting fishing to sustainable levels, educating people in this field to minimise unwanted fishing.