Another Short One

Hey guys, check out this cool video posted by Hayley B on Youtube.

It puts everything that I've typed in my blogs into a cool short animated video that's really informative.

Hope you liked it :)
~ Jaswa Dowrich

Short and to the Point

Good evening everyone,

Today's post is not going to be a long one. I just want you guys to check out this video by Grenada Broadcasting Network on YouTube.

Hope you guys have a great weekend
~Jaswa

Our Oceans, Our Job

"The ocean is like a chequing account where everybody withdraws but nobody makes a deposit. This is what's happening because of overfishing." - Enric Sala

We previously discussed what is overfishing and destructive fishing practices and their effects and impacts on the marine environment. In todays post we are going to discuss some of the ways in which we can help replenish fish stocks and coral life in the ocean. Before we start do you have any ideas on how we can accomplish this?

How can we help?
One way in which we can help replenish our oceans is by a process called aquaculture. Aquaculture is the rearing of both marine and fresh water fish and other animals. There are two principle types of aquaculture, mari culture and pisciculture.
Pisciculture is a process by which fish are cultivated and sold for domestic or commercial use and involves the growing of fish in tanks or ponds. (source)

Fig1: Photo showing the way ponds are set up for the growing of fresh water fish (source)

Mari culture, however, is the farming of marine plants and animals in salt water. Enclosures are set up in the ocean that house the fish. (source)

Fig2: Enclosures for Mari culture (source)

Coral farming is another method used to help rebuild our oceans. This occurs when fragments of coral are collected, raised under controlled variables or conditions and then installed in areas where coral has been previously damaged. Coral farming and gardening are almost the same, the only difference is that one occurs underwater while the other occurs on land. After the coral has matured it is placed in its new home by restoration divers. (source)

Fig3:Coral aquaculture in the United Kingdom (source )

Fig4: Researches from the Interuniversity Marine Institute for Marine Sciences inspecting coral growth in the Red Sea. (source )

Before you head out take a look at these two videos that make what you've just read a little more entertaining.

Video by The Conservation Fund

Video by LeroySeafood

Depth of the Economy

In the previous blogs we've discussed what is overfishing and its effects. In this blog we're going to discuss the economic impact that overfishing has on society.

Let's run some numbers:
Bluefin tuna are found in the Mediterranean Sea, Western Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean and are used in most sushi restaurants in Japan and New York.
On average a bluefin tuna grows to about 6.5ft and weighs 550 pounds. One tuna sells for $15 to $45 a pound and therefore, on average, cost anywhere between US$8,250 (TT$50,325) and US$24,750 (TT$$150,975). With these numbers in mind, we can start to see why these animals are highly prized and sought after.Bluefin tuna can take up to 12 years to reach sexual maturity and at this age they the ideal size for fishermen to catch and obtain a substantially large pay check. However what isn't taken to mind is that these fish have either never spawned before or have spawned once maybe three times in their lifetime and therefore a perfectly healthy fish and many other lives are killed when one mature tuna is killed.

Fig1: Processing of a Bluefin tuna by Scott Smith (bluefin tuna sampling).

Another species of animal that is in great danger of going extinct are sharks. On average 100 million sharks are killed annually for their fins. This is equal to approximately, 1,923,077 sharks a week, 274,725 a day, 11,447 sharks an hour, 191 sharks a minute or 3 sharks per second. No matter how you look at it sharks are being exploited, mainly for their fins. On average sharks take between 7 and 10 years to reach sexual maturity and therefore most are killed before they can reproduce. Some may ask why are shark fins so valuable and not the rest of its body? This is because the fin of a shark can be sold for up to $100 a pound or more, for example the pectoral fin of a whale shark can sell for up to US$100,000 and a basking sharks can sell for US$250,000, while the rest of its body doesn't yield nearly half of that. Another reason is that the body of a shark contains urea, mercury, lead and arsenic which are hazardous to the human body.
Shark fin soup is a delicacy in China that sells for $100 a bowl. Shark fins are rather tasteless and the soup is therefore flavored with another type of broth such as chicken. The fins are used to add texture to the dish.
In order to obtain the shark fins the sharks first have to be caught. After this the fins are removed from the shark while it is still alive and then its body is thrown back into the ocean most often alive. This animal then has to endure a slow death by either drowning because it ant get oxygenated water into its gills or by being eaten alive by other fish and or sharks.

Fig2: Shark fins laid out to dry in Hong Kong. Photo by Antony Dickson.

Photo source

Fig3: A dead shark on the bottom of the ocean after being finned.

(Photo from http://www.chinatownology.com/shark_fin_soup.html)

The Patagonian Toothfish or Chilean Seabass, is another marine animal that has been overfished. These fish are found in Patagonia South America with the adults living near the bottom (approximately 3800 meters below the surface) and feeding on other smaller fish. These fish can grow up to 2 meters in length and 200 pounds and take approximately 8 to 10 years to reach sexual maturity. These fish cost around US$4.55 (TT$ 27.76) per pound which is US$910 (TT$5,551) per fish. You may be wondering how are these fish exploited if they live so far down in the ocean? These fish are mainly caught by longline ( use of a long, branched fishing line) in deep waters and sometimes by trawling, which as we discussed in a previous blog also harms the coral and marine ecosystem in the long run. However, measures have been put in the place that have allowed these fish to replenish themselves. such measures include limiting the amount of fish that can be caught legally at any one time and all Patagonian toothfish sold in Australia are to be documented.

Fig4: Tray of dead Patagonian toothfish from Huffington post UK.

With these numbers in mind we can see why fishing is such a huge industry and why it is beneficial in many lives. However, with the rapid decline of edible marine life the fish industry has been taking loss after loss for several years. In the past three decades overfishing has caused the global fish markets to lose approximately US $2 trillion ( TT $12,200,000,000,000) which is approximately, US $50 billion (TT $305,000,000,000) annually. This is no small loss and has not only impacted fisheries but the overall economic status of most countries. This loss has been a direct hit to fishermen, their families, and especially the larger fishing corporations. Many people will say that they have caused this demise on themselves which may be true but at the end of the day they aren't the only ones affected. When money is lost one place it has to be taken from another and this other source is tourism. Many people visit or tour most countries that have beaches for the beaches and culture, but what beaches are we going to have if we don't have any fish and coral reefs? What are we going to eat when all of our marine resources are gone and cannot be replenished? These are just some of the questions that we, the inhabitants of earth, have to ask ourselves before we delve into the abyss of blue that surrounds our homes.

References:

• Cost of bluefin- https://www.howmuchisit.org/bluefin-tuna-cost/
• Size of bluefin tuna- https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bluefin-tuna
• Dangers of shark meat- https://www.sharksider.com/shark-meat-delicacy-dangerous/
• Patagonian- http://goodfishbadfish.com.au/?fish=patagonian-toothfish
• Size of Patagonian- https://oceana.org/marine-life/ocean-fishes/patagonian-toothfish
• Cost of Patagonian- http://thefishproject.weebly.com/iuu-fishing-of-the-patagonian-toothfish.html
• Amount of money fishing industry losses- http://overfishingdilemma.weebly.com/costs-of-overfishing.html

Fish in Danger

How Overfishing Affects Fish Stocks

When fishing occurs the first fish to be captured and killed are usually the largest and more mature fish. Fish take a long time to reach sexual maturity and because of this when the larger and more mature fish are killed it takes a long time for the fish species to replenish. With the amount of fishing vessels that are deployed into our oceans everyday the amount of fish continues to drastically decline.

Decline of Fish Stock

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, approximately five percent (5%) of 1360 bony shore fish species studied in 38 Caribbean islands are threatened.
Overfishing has also placed many of our larger marine predators on the endangered species list. Some of these predators include sharks of various species, blue fin tuna, turtles and rays.

Data in chart from fish stock

Sharks are one of those fish that take a while to reach sexual maturity and who do not reproduce often. Sharks are fished mainly for their fins and fats and oils. A common delicacy in Asia is shark fin soup but in order to acquire these fins, sharks are inhumanely slaughtered. Shark finning is the removal of a shark's fins while it is alive and throwing its live body back into the ocean. This animal then suffers a long and painful death by either being eaten alive by other fish or drowning, due to its lack of mobility and thus lack of oxygenated water being able to pass through its body. According to a study carried out by a group of researches led by Shelley c. Clarke in 2006, between 26 and 73 million sharks are killed each year for their fins. (Shark Finning )

Photo from: bite-back.com

  

Another type of fish that is suffering from overfishing is the beloved, giant blue fin tuna. This species of tuna is used in most if not all sushi restaurants around the world. Blue fin tuna can cost anywhere between $30 to $170+ a pound, making it one of the most expensive fish in the world.(cost of tuna)
The International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-Like Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC) released a statement in 2013 saying that overfishing of this species of fish has caused it to decline by 96.5%. 

Before you leave check out this very informative video on the ever growing decline of fish populations.

 

Video by: Smithsonian Channel

Save Reefs, Save lives!

In my previous blog we discussed what is overfishing ( when fish are killed faster than they can replenish) and its effects. In this blog, we are going to highlight what are destructive fishing practices and their effects on marine life.

 What are destructive fishing practices?
These are methods that result in permanent damage of marine habitats and ecosystems. Also includes the incorrect use of standard fishing techniques.

Some types of destructive fishing practices:

Fig 1:From coral reefs and sustainable management

• Blast fishing- is usually done in areas where fish are plentiful, for example coral reefs, and is done by detonating explosives in the water. This kills or shocks the fish and allows them to float to the surface of the water where they can be easily caught. The technique allows fishermen to get larger yields while exerting less energy. This method is more commonly used in the Philippines and in South East Asia. Examples of explosives used are dynamite and homemade explosives made of kerosene and fertilizer. ( source: environmental issues )
• Cyanide/ Poison fishing - occurs when  a mixture of sodium cyanide is sprayed into the habitat of the organisms. This allows live marine animals to be caught for use in restaurants and aquariums. The use of cyanide results in the loss of zooxanthellae (photosynthetic algae found in coral), which leads to the discoloration of coral or coral bleaching. This is mainly practiced in South East Asia. (Jones, Ross J., Tim Kildea, and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg. "PAM chlorophyll fluorometry: a new in situ technique for stress assessment in scleractinian corals, used to examine the effects of cyanide from cyanide fishing." Marine Pollution Bulletin 38.10 (1999): 864-874.) 
  
• Bottom Trawling - this is the act of releasing a large net into the ocean that is weighed down by heavy weights. The net is then dragged across the ocean floor thus collecting everything in its path. This method is inefficient and highly destructive, because it not only catches the targeted prey but other unwanted marine life, destroys coral and therefore leads to the destruction of marine ecosystems. ( source: destructive fishing )
  Fig 3: Photo of bottom trawling from bloom association

Before you leave, take a look at this very informative video made by two marine biologists, Dr. Andrea Marshall and Daniel Van Duinkerken.

Video from Marine Megafauna Foundation

Tasty But Costly

Tasty but Costly 

What comes to mind when you hear the word fishing? When I hear the word fishing I think about going on a jetty or pier and casting some cheap lines with friends and drinking, eating and talking and not paying attention to the lines that we cast unless we hear the reel spinning. What most of us fail to think about is the large scale fishing industry and the amount of fishermen that work in our oceans daily. Do you know that approximately 1.2 billion people eat fish on a daily? That fish yields have decreased dramatically over the last 50 years? Or that marine scientist have estimated that our oceans are going to run out of fish by the year 2060? Probably not. The amount of fish that we eat every year has increased since the early 2000s due to more people consuming only fish and vegetables on a daily. Although this maybe healthier for us it has been costly on our oceans.

What is overfishing?

Overfishing occurs when the rate of fishing is inversely proportional to the rate at which fish replenish their species, that is, the rate at which we catch fish is higher than that at which they are able to breed and reach maturity. The rate of overfishing has increased dramatically and in return fisherman yields have been steadily declining.

Impact of overfishing:

1. Changes in the ecosystem
2. Loss of food source
3. Loss of income
4. Extinction of species of fish
5. Destruction of coral reefs

Fig2: Overfishing Model by Greenpeace

With this bit of information in mind I think that we can all come together to help our oceans and stop overfishing, because after we all we need them more than they need us.
Check out this cool and informative video before you leave.

Video by: OCEAN2012EU