Fishery Depletion: Will Our Seafood Diets Soon Be the Thing of the Past?

Not only are fish and shellfish one of the world's main sources of animal protein but it is also a great source and in some cases the only source of income for some people. Fish are also used as a daily supplement, e.g. fish oil. Due to the world wide need to have fish as a source of protein and income the depletion of fisheries has become a major global issue. More studies are showing that there will soon be a day that eating a tuna fish sandwich will be a distant memory due to the depletion of fish. The loss of fish will, one way or another, affects living everything on this planet. Species that would be affected include turtles, seabirds, predatory birds, wild cats, seals, sharks, and etc. If there is no fish to catch then there will be no income and no food. There are people who believe that if something is not done about the over exploitation of fisheries will bring the end to our seafood diets; however, there are people that believe as long as there are fish farms, there is nothing to worry about.

Yes our seafood diets will soon be the thing of the past if something isn't done about it:

The United States alone has overexploited approximately "40% of their own fish stocks" (Baker, 1995). According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) they estimate "that 70% of the worlds fish species are either fully exploited or depleted" (Fisheries Factsheet, 2009). In fact, the world's largest amount of fish that had been caught peaked roughly around 89 million tons in 1989 (Fisheries Factsheet, 2009). After that the catches have recently leveled off to around 85 million tons (Fisheries Factsheet, 2009). Although over fishing has aided in the depletion of fish there are other factors that must also be considered.

Pollution is another reason why fisheries are being depleted. Most of the pollution that enters the waterways comes from land, approximately 80% (Fisheries Factsheet, 2009). Habitat destruction is another reason why fisheries are depleting (Baker, 1995). This includes "dredging, oil drilling (and spills), pipe lying, and waste dumping..." (Fisheries Factsheet, 2009) Another reason for fisheries to become depleated is due to the spoilage of the fish. It is also thought that global warming is another cause because the oceans temperatures are climbing (Fisheries Factsheet, 2009). Although, there are many reasons why the fisheries are becoming more depleated, there are some people feel that if we grew our own fish then we will not have to worry about our seafood diet.

No our seafood diets will not be the thing of the past because of fish farming:

Due to the fact that fish farming is growing there is no reason for people to have to worry whether or not they will be able to eat their salmon for dinner. Another name for fish farming in some countries is called aquaculture (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). However, in the United States it is just called agriculture (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). Even though aquaculture had just recently become an idea for the United States, it has been going on in China for over 3,000 years (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). Aquaculturistis basically can grow aquatic plants like seaweed, finfish like carp, shellfish like lobsters, and etc (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). There has been over 70.4 billion pounds of aquaculture production (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). "Aquaculture accounts for more than 30% of all aquatic foods and so called "reduction" fisheries products (more than 50% of foodfish) consumed in the world" (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). It is also predicted that it will "provide more than 50% of all aquatic production by 2050" (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). Along with the amount of fish being produced, fish farming has brought income to many people.

Fish farming has become a steady income for the United States and the world. For example "the value of aquaculture production in the U.S. exceeds $1.13 billion per year" (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). Along with it being an income producer fish farming does not costs as much to maintain their nutrition as cattle and poultry does. For every pound of live weight it takes between eight to ten pounds of feed to maintain cattle (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). As for poultry it takes "3 pounds... of feed per pound of live weight" (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). In contrast, Fish only take "2 pounds... or less of feed per pound of live weight" (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009). This is basically because fish are cold blooded and therefore do not require to maintain their body weight (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009).

Postscript:

I do believe that fisheries are in danger of being fully exploited if something done; however, I do not believe that fish farming is the only answer to solving problem. I say this because there are a lot of problems that come with fish farming. The one species of fish that is suffering the most is the wild salmon and the effects include "...lice, infections, interbreeding with escaped farmed fish, and contaminants such as antibiotics, pesticides, and disinfectants" (Wright, 2009). Essentially, having farmed fish causes just as much harm to the wild fish as over fishing does. Studies have also shown that fish that are farmed tend to contain much more fat in them, contain fewer nutrients, and contain more toxins and chemicals than their wild fish counterparts (Growing Our Own, 2003). It is not just the quality of the fish is compromised when farmed, there are other downfalls.

There are other reasons why fish farming is not the only answer to solving the problem. Some may say that fish farming is a way to eliminate the need to over fish to maintain the worlds demand. However, this is not the case because some of the fish that is farmed require to be fed wild fish (Growing Our Own, 2003). Therefore, the whole idea of reducing the need to fish has been counteracted. It is also not true that fish farming helps the economy. Fish farming actually has caused fish deficit. The deficit that it has caused is now well over $9 billion per year and still growing (Aquaculture Facts and..., 1998-2009).

In conclusion, fish farming is not the only solution to the issue of the depletion of fisheries. Compromising with the world on a policy, which would slow down and even end the depletion of fisheries, could also aid in their recovery. If fish farms are going to be a source of food and income for the world than there needs to be better management to improve on the quality of the fish and decrease the impact that it has on the wild fish. Maybe even putting a tighter restriction on the amount of wild fish that is caught at any given time could also allow the fish to recover. No matter what action is taken it is extremely important to act as soon as possible, otherwise it may be too late for the fisheries.

References:

Aquaculture Facts and Fish Farming Facts and Figures. (1998-2009). Retrieved November 9,

2009, from Fisheries technology Associates, Inc. Fisheries Consulting:

http://www.ftai.com/aquaculture.htm

Baker, B. (1995). Is overfishing or habitat destruction the key culprit in fishery depletion?

Bioscience, 45 (11), 751. Retrieved from General Science Collection database.

Fish Farming. (2003). National Geographic, 204 (1). Retrieved from General Science Collection

database.

Fisheries Factsheet. (2009). Retrieved November 08, 2009, from The Humane Society of the

United States:

http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/commercial_fisheries_and_

marine_mammals/fisheries_factsheet.html

Growing Our Own. (2003). Current Science, 89 (9), 9. Retrieved from General Science

Collection database.

Wright, K. (2009). 31: Fish Farming Threatens Wild Salmon. Discover, 30 (1), 41. Retrieved

from General Science Collection database.