Overfishing Problem in the United States

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Introduction
The Overfishing Problem in the US
Consequences of Overfishing
Solutions to Overfishing
Conclusion
References

Abstract

The fishing sector has great economic and social impacts in the US. This industry provides food for the population, employment opportunities, and contributes to the country’s economy. The ability of this industry to continue playing these important roles is threatened by overfishing. This paper describes the overfishing problem facing the US and highlights some of its consequences. It then proposes solutions that can help mitigate the problem.

The paper starts by highlighting the enormous scale of the United States maritime resources. It then shows how overfishing has emerged as an important problem and the negative impacts it has had. The paper proposes some solutions which include imposing restrictions on fishing technologies, enforcing policies to eliminate by-catch issues, and enforcing a strict top-down state control of the fisheries resources. Implementing these solutions will effectively tackle the overfishing problem and result in the replenishing of many fish stocks that are facing a phenomenal decline.

Introduction

Oceans and other water bodies have been a source of food for humans for millenniums. Historically, the fish stocks in the water body have been able to adequately replenish themselves in spite of the exploitation by humans. However, the scale and pace of human exploitation of marine resources have reached an unsustainable level in the 21st century. One phenomenon that has emerged in countries that have fisheries industries is overfishing. The World Wildlife Fund (2015) defines overfishing as the situation where “more fish are caught than the population can replace through natural reproduction” (p.1). The fishing industry in the US has been affected by this problem with dire consequences.

The available fish stocks have decreased dramatically over the last three decades and some fish species are facing extinction. The collapse of fish stock would have a devastating effect on the country since fish are an important source of food for millions of people. This paper will describe the overfishing problem currently facing the US and highlight some of the consequences. It will then propose some solutions that if followed might remedy the problem.

The Overfishing Problem in the US

The United States has the largest volume of marine resources in the world. Turnipseed, Roady, Sagarin and Crowder (2009) document that the US and its coastal states have jurisdiction over more of the world’s oceans than any other country. Exploiting these vast marine resources is of great social and economic importance to the US. Fish are an important part of the nation’s food supply and the US is the third largest consumer of fish in the world. The fishing industry contributes about 90 billion dollars to the US economy and provides direct employment to about 100,000 people (Kearney, 2014). In addition to this, the industry indirectly supports about 1.5 million jobs in the country. The future of this important industry has been compromised by the overfishing problem which has faced the global fishing industry.

The marine ecosystems have come under increasing human pressure over the past two centuries. For many centuries, the marine resources were thought to be infinite. This assumption has changed and it is recognized today that the marine natural resources are finite and their overuse could lead to catastrophic outcomes. Longo and Clausen (2014) document that no area of the world’s ocean body has been unaffected by human activity. According to Turnipseed, et al. (2009), unsustainable fishing practices have been responsible for some of the most harmful effects on ocean ecosystems, including the depletion and the near collapse of certain fish stocks. The United State’s National Marine Fisheries Service admits that 26% of fish populations in US waters are overfished.

Consequences of Overfishing

Arguably the direst consequence of overfishing is that it has put certain species or stocks of fish in danger of extinction. The government recognizes that human activities have led to the depletion of some fish stocks. Overfishing has caused these stocks to fall below their optimum sustainable population levels, therefore offsetting the ability of the fish to naturally recover their numbers after harvesting. The Great Lakes have experienced dramatic declines in fish population. Hudson and Ziegler (2014) reveal that annual harvests in US waters have dropped from 23,000 tons to 9,000 tons between 1980 and 2011. The lake trout, which was once prevalent in the Great Lakes, was almost driven to extinction in the 1970s due to overfishing.

Another consequence of overfishing is that it has made it more difficult to catch fish. Today, fishers require more effort to catch the same quantity of fish as they caught in the 1980s. Reports indicate that fisherman have over the past three decades been increasing their fishing efforts by spending more time at sea and using more fishing vessels (Pitcher & Cheung, 2013). In spite of this increased effort, the amount of fish caught has not surpassed that of the 1980s. The decline in fish population has therefore reduced the profit margin of fishing companies by increasing the cost of catching fish.

The government has recognized that overfishing poses a great danger to the fishing sector. Various strategies have therefore been implemented in an attempt to control overfishing in the US. The current strategy entails the setting of annual catch limits on particular fish species. The current management strategies are based on maximum sustainable yield. Under such a system, calculations are made to estimate what is the maximum amount of fish that can be captured without harming the reproductive capacity of the fish stock (Longo & Clausen, 2014). Safina (2009) notes that the current policies of imposing catch quotas that regulate how much individual fishers can harvest in a set period have slowed but not stopped the depletion of fish stocks.

Solutions to Overfishing

Considering the huge economic and impact of the fishing industry, it would be important to come up with solutions that effectively address the overfishing problem that threatens the existence of this important sector. One solution to the overfishing problem is to impose restrictions on the use of certain fishing technologies. There is general agreement that technological advances have contributed to the overfishing problems that the US currently faces. Solution Longo and Clausen (2014) document that the modern fishing industry is characterized by massive ships that employ state-of-the-art location technology to detect the presence of fish in the ocean.

To maximize the catch, fishing technologies such as trawlers, long-lines, and purse seines are used to enable the fishing boat to not only capture vast quantities of fish but also to access fish that are sometimes thousands of feet below the surface. Restrictions could be imposed making it illegal for ships and boats larger than a pre-determined size to fish in US waters. In addition to this, the government could dictate the fishing technologies that can be implemented. Such an approach would dramatically decrease the number of fish caught over a set period of time. The fishing capability of individual fishers using small boats is dramatically smaller than that of large ships that have massive nets with a circumference of over a mile making it possible for them to harvest many tons of fish in a single haul.

Another solution is to come up with policies to mitigate or completely eliminate the by-catch and discard issues prevalent in commercial fisheries. Fishing vfessels target certain fish populations due to their high value or great demand by consumers.

However, the fishing vessels catch a significant number of non-targeted species which are referred by as by-catch. These by-catch fish are discarded by commercial fisheries since they have no economic value or are illegal to catch (Pitcher & Cheung, 2013). There is general agreement that discards are an important fact affecting the global fish population. The US is of special interest in this issue since the county has the highest percentage of discards.

Research reveals that the US has one of the highest fish discard rates in the world with three out of every fish captured being thrown away (Turnipseed, et al., 2009). The by-catch problem can be mitigated by enforcing rules that require fishers to use nets with larger meshes. This will ensure that non-target species and undersized individuals of the target species are allowed to escape capture (Longo & Clausen, 2014). By reducing the by-catch, the number of fish left in the ocean will be greater ensuring that overfishing does not occur.

Finally, the overfishing in US waters can be solved by adopting laws that identify fishing grounds as public property under strict government guardianship. Fisheries resources should not be the subject of private ownership but rather should be under the guardianship of the government. Applying the public trust doctrine would see the US government hold the waters in trust for their citizenry. Turnipseed, et al. (2009) explain that the idea of a public trusteeship rests upon the principles that certain interests such as the sea have critical importance to the citizenry and that the government should promote the interests of the general public instead of redistributing these public goods to restricted private benefit.

There is pressure to exploit ocean resources by private citizens whose chief motivation is higher profits. Longo and Clausen (2014) observe that for hundreds of years, the indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest employed socio-cultural restrictions to help sustain the fish population. In contrast to this, the capitalist operations do not impose self-restrictions as they endeavor to gain maximum profits. Unlike private entities, whose primary motivation is maximizing profits by catching the highest number of fish; the government will act in the public’s interest and manage fisheries resources in the best interest of current and future citizens. The top-down state control of the fisheries resources would limit access and promote protection of the resources.

Conclusion

Overfishing is the single most important issue threatening the future of the fisheries sector in the US. This paper set out to discuss the overfishing problem and provide some solutions to the problem. It began by highlighting the vastness of America’s marine resources and the importance of the fishing industry. It then discussed the overfishing problem and the solution currently being employed by the government. The Federal government’s fisheries management strategy used today is ineffectual and has failed to stem the overfishing problem in the US. The solutions suggested in this paper deal with the inadequacies of the current strategies and promise to effectively tackle the overfishing problem and result in the replenishing of many fish stocks that are facing a phenomenal decline.

References

Hudson, J., & Ziegler, S. (2014). Environment, Culture, and The Great Lakes Fisheries. Geographical Review, 104(4), 391-413. Web.

Kearney, M.S. (2014). What’s the Catch? Challenges and Opportunities of the U.S. Fishing Industry. Web.

Longo, S., & Clausen, R. (2014). Capitalism and the Commodification of Salmon. Monthly Review, 66(7), 35-55. Web.

Pitcher, T.J., & Cheung, W.L. (2013). Fisheries: Hope or despair? Mar Pollut Bull, 74(1), 506–516. Web.

Safina, C. (2009). A Future for U.S. Fisheries. Issues in Science & Technology, 25(4), 43-46. Web.

Turnipseed, M., Roady, S., Sagarin, R., & Crowder, L. (2009). The Silver Anniversary of the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone: Twenty-Five Years of Ocean Use and Abuse, and the Possibility of a Blue Water Public Trust Doctrine. Ecology Law Quarterly, 36(1), 1-70. Web.

World Wildlife Fund. (2015). Overfishing Threats. Web.

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