Assessing The Impact Of Over Fishing Environmental Sciences Essay

Assessing The Impact Of Over Fishing Environmental Sciences demonst g everyplacen adjacently the demand of leatherneck resources constantly grows. The growing demand stimulates the ripening of seekery and opposite shipboard soldier resources exploitation. However, the unreasonable use of shipboard soldier resources arse pose the fatal damage to some ecosystems and to the ball-shaped ecosystem of the world ocean. The oer fishing is a main concern. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, provides the statistics about the globose production from capture fisheries in the world. Within the vernal two decades (starting from 1985) the reported takeings of marine capture fisheries control fluctuated between 80 and 86 million tones per year (DKNVS report, 2006) However, the constantly increase contri unlession of ontogenesis countries and China school principals to the progressive harvest-home of mantled fisheries glitz. At the same time, the overfishi ng in some regions has already led to ecosystem debasement and some species extinction. Analytics think that at the neargonst future the fish will stay the increasingly senior high school-value commodity, and the orbiculate demand to the fish and marine products will continue to grow.The usage of former(a) marine resources, similar energy resources, minerals, and gene pool, in like manner grows and keep authorize to overuse and ecosystem degradation, too. In the aggregate the gentleman exploitation of the marine resources and different factors of clement influence, like the water pollutions and coastal agriculture, give noticeful lead to the irreversible changes in the ecosystem of the ocean up to the total degradation. Nowadays the technological latent of humankind doesnt have the technologies of marine ecosystem resurrection.The thesis of this paper the following the human exploitation of the marine sources has to be controlled to forbid overfishing and other kinds of overuse, or the ecosystem of the orbicular ocean can be irreparably damaged.Human exploitations earth vs seaHumans be the link in the fodder chain so the human activity has an impact on ecosystems. Even early human societies changed the surrounding ecosystems. Nowadays the growth of human macrocosm and its impact on the environment escalated the problem on the global scale. Sure, the exploitation of the dirt resources is much active than the exploitation of the marine sources. thither are m all world(a) ecosystems damaged and ruined with human factors. However, the lower speed of marine biography cycle causes harder resurrection of the pelagic sources. The principal difference in the human exploitation on the land and on the sea is the following on the land the humankind rebuilt the structure of terrestrial ecosystems and replaced the wild species with the domestic species. In the sea the important species werent replaced. They became extinct and the extinction of some m arine species led to the degradation of marine ecosystems. Despite the existing fisheries normals, the last majority of the fish acquits passim the ocean are overfished. Not only fishes hardly marine animals like turtles and whales and some species suffer from population decline up to 40% relatively to the population brashness a century ago. about popular species are roughly approaching extinction, for guinea pig, blue-fin tuna.There are tether types of overfishing, or three kinds of direct set up of captive overfishing. To make the maximal gain per heal the fish should grow to the proper average size. The piscary of the weeer fish is a growth overfishing. To replenish the population it is needed the proper pct of mature adults. The shortage of mature adults in the population to the lower the take of reproductive capacity is a recruitment overfishing. The change in the repose of ecosystem caused by fishery and preventing the population growth is an ecosystem overf ishing. All three types of overfishing have the negative impact on the ecosystem.Thus, the exploitation of marine resources should be to a greater extent careful and reasonable because of lower temp of resurrection.Ecosystem effects of overfishingOverfishing as a treat to biodiversityThere are also some indirect effects of overfishing, and the minify in biodiversity is one of them. The qualifying in biodiversity is a severe treat to the ecosystem in a whole. The cumulative loss of species-from inconspicuous worms to self-aggrandising fish-sharply reduces the capacity of sea life to resist diseases, filter pollutants and rebound from stresses such as overfishing and climate change (Blankenship, 2006) The numerous studies depict that higher rate of biodiversity is the base of health and stability of ecosystem, as well as its ability to recover. However, the overfishing and the fall apart of some the most popular species create the trend, which can lead to the total crash of o cean ecosystem in 2048 (Blankenship, 2006). The careful fishery fear can prevent the total collapse but the strict limits and bans should be go throughed without delay.The alternations in the food chainsItalian scientist Lorenzo Camerano outlined the predicament of double-sided economy in 1880 year. The dilemma is following the high amount of birds can decrease the population of the insets in ecosystem, however, the tot up of birds can be high only on those regions were the openhanded amount of food (mainly insects) is available. (Sheffer et al, 2005)This particular example illustrates the top-down and bottom-up mechanism of regulation in the ecosystem. The bottom-up regulation is the main mechanism of natural regulation and the marine ecosystems are no exception. However, the human interference is an important factor of top-down regulation, which changes the natural regulation in ecosystems including marine ones. The nature of food chain is similar in every ecosystem solar e nergy and inorganic compounds are transformed by autotrophs, chemotrophs and litotrophs through photosynthesis and chemosynthesis to organic compounds. Then the organic compounds are transformed by heterotrophs into the to a greater extent complex organic compounds. The predators are the highest link in the pyramid. usually the number of predators is regulated by the number of low- take aim organisms. The disappearance of predators from the food chain can lead to the unrestrained growth of dependent organisms population.The marine ecosystems have their specific features. The role of photosynthesis isnt as significant as in terrestrial ecosystems. On the other hand, the majority of chemotrophic organisms inhabit the ocean. The primary producer in the marine ecosystem is phytoplankton and the fish is a main natural predator. Nowadays the top positions in the food web of all ecosystems are booked with people. The overfishing, or the extinction the main natural fishing, can lead to trophic cascading effects changes in the ecosystems.The recent example of trophic cascading effects caused by overfishingThe ecosystem of Canadian East Coast, hardly damaged with collect overfishing, suffers from the particular changes in the ecosystem. The east coast of Newfoundland was historically known as the region of fishery. The bind in the Greenpeace archive tells that in 1497 year the explorer John Cabot wrote the great irritate school virtually blocked his ship. Five centuries after the Canadian government totally banned the fishery in this region because of the collapse of ecosystem.After the decrease of sizeable fish population following level of the food web small fishes and large invertebrates, such as northerly shrimp and northern snow crab significantly increased the population volume. The growth on this food-web level caused the shortage on its nutritive base, large plant-eating zooplankton ( 2 mm). The decrease of zooplankton, in its turn, became the reason for phytoplankton population volume increase. The unexpected (but natural) consequence was the exponential increase in seal populations. The large fishes like cod compete with seals in the food web for the feed base. The extinction of main competitor allowed growing the seal population.The economic consequences of cod overfishing were also significant. Thus, the cod stocks have started to recover in areas south of 44 degrees north. The strict bans can help to recover the cod population and to take the ecosystem to its initial state. However, other areas north of 44 degrees North the cod stock failed to recover despite a nearly complete shutdown of cod fishing. The coastal communities of Newfoundland tacit suffer from the job loss and struggle to recover.The changes in marine ecosystem lead to the shift in commercial fishery to the low-level of food-web, smaller fishes and crabs. Nowadays the economic value of the shrimp and crab fisheries is more than the earlier value of the cod fishery.Other indirect effectsThere are also some other indirect effects of oversifishing that are not so visible, but they also contribute to the general problem.The loss of macrofauna leads to the loss of ecosystem structure and the rise of pests. Generally pests are the species detrimental to humans. In the case of degraded marine ecosystems pests are the invasive species. With the lack of inhibitory factors such species are able to congest the ecosystem and force out almost all native species declining the biodiversity. For example, European green crab, the native inhabitant of Baltic sea and the northern part of the Atlantic ocean, became the invasive specie in the seas of Australia, reciprocal ohm Africa and South America.The ghost fishing is effect from fishing nets baffled of left in the ocean by fishermen. The nets are almost imperceptible in the dim underwater light. They can drift for a eagle-eyed distance. Fishes, marine animals, sea birds and even human divers can be caught and entangled with the net. The net restrict movement and can cause the disease, famishment and suffocation. The volume of ghost fishing can hardly be evaluated because the most victims go down the ocean bottom.Methods of overfishing ginmillThe importance of fishery anxiety increases simultaneously with the fishery intermitment. The most popular methods of over fishing prevention are the implementation of fishing quotas, limits and bans, the development of fishing farms instead of captive fishery, the coastal zone management and some other measures.Fishing quotas, limits and bansStudies and analyses show that in the nearest future the sustainability concerns will increase due to environmental controversy. The growing demand will require the increase of fishery but the protection of marine ecosystems will require the strict bans, limits and control. The developed countries should implement the environmental regulations and institutions first and provide the same norms to the developing countries. The use of fish embrocate and feashmeal should make up the important issue of the national policy. For example, China bans the fishery in the South China Sea for the certain period every year. However, all the quotas and limits cause the protests and resistance from fishermen.Fishing farmsThe fishing farms are rather new but successful kind of fish production. According to FAO statistics, the contribution of aquaculture to global supplies of fish, crustaceans and molluscs continues to grow, increasing from 3.9 percent of total production by weight in 1970 to 29.9 percent in 2002. Worldwide, the sector has grown at an average rate of 8.9 percent per year since 1970, compared with only 1.2 percent for capture fisheries and 2.8 percent for terrestrial farmed meat-production systems over the same period. (DKNVS report, 2006) the shift to the fish farming from the captive fishing is rather slow. However, the fish farming can help to protect and even preven t the extinction of marine species. Thus, last year in Australia the first land farm of southern blue-fin tuna was established. The blue-fin tuna is very popular fish because of its buttery meat, for this reason this species is almost collapsed. The land farm fishing is a real fishing alternative and should be developed.Coastal Zone heedThe Norwegian experience shows that coastal zone plans for every municipality can be very useful. These plans should designate the zones for tourism and recreation, for agriculture for certain fishery colligate activities and protected zones. These plans should be revised within a certain number of years according the results of activities.Other methods of fishing controlThe pelagic stocks should be protected not only from overfishing but form the pollutions and the issue of global ocean environmental protection will receive more attention worldwide. The use of fish products in the terrestrial agriculture (like the use of fishoil as the nutritional supplement) should be reconsidered and reduced. Among the other measures of pelagic stocks protection should be the reduction and mitigation of the environmental impacts of intensive aquaculture. At last, the global institutions worldwide should develop the programs of poverty reduction on the seaside zones. It is requisite to reduce the volume of the captive fishery, both legal and illegal, and shift the fishery to fish farming. ontogeny of other marine living resourcesThe overfishing is in the focus of this research however, it is necessary to mention other kinds of marine resources exploitation. Besides the biomass resources like fish, plant and marine invertebrates, the marine resources intromit the raw resources (underwater deposits of oil, gas and minerals and the minerals dissolved in the sea water), the energy resources (thermal energy, wave energy, etc), and the gene pool. The development of underwater oil deposits (offshore bore) started in the 19s century. For more th an a century it became clear that offshore drilling changes the marine ecosystems in the region. The recent accident on the BP oil platform in the Caribbean Sea attracted the attention of global publicity to the problem of offshore drilling environmental impact and renewed the hot debates regarding the issue. The oil price growth stimulates the offshore drilling development, but the environmental damage of it overweighs the profits from oil trade in the long-term perspective.The genetic dominance of marine sources also attracts the attention to the marine sources. The biological and chemical diversity of the pelagic sources are well-known. Unique chemical compounds have a great potential for the cosmetic, pharmaceutics, and agrochemical industries.The global ocean also hosts more than 300,000 species of plants and animals, and the scientists claim the majority of deep-water species is still undiscovered. Thus, the gene pool of marine biomass is a field of active research. The obser vations in Norwegian marine industries provide the information that a relatively small number of marine plants, animals, and microbes have already yielded more than 12,000 novel chemicals. Some of the marine bioactive substances (with industrial applications as technological compounds, laboratory tools or ingredients in cosmetics) are already marketed and generate high benefits to mankind (and investors) (DKNVS report, 2006).Thus, the chemical compounds arabinosides extracted from the sponge, Tethya crypta, can be used in antiviral pharmacology and as the medicament in the acute myeloid leukemia intercession. It has a market potential up to $50 million annual sales.The further research of the marine species and their potential will lead to the additional attention to the marine resources. However, the exploitation of any marine resource can be carefully managed and controlled to prevent the collapse of ocean ecosystem.Summary and conclusionThe researches of marine resources discove r new and new potential of its commercial use. The gene pool and the variety of chemical compounds in the ocean open new possibilities in pharmacology, industrial chemistry, cosmetics, etc. innovational technologies allow the development of offshore drilling and the underwater mining. However, the overuse of these possibilities can lead to the collapse of marine ecosystem. The example of overfishing shows the possible consequences of marine sources overuse. The fishery exists as long and humankind, thus its consequences are the most obvious and significant. The overshishing causes the decrease of diversity in ecosystems, the tropic cascading effects, and even the collapse of some species. It is the treatment to overall ecological unity of the ocean.The fishery management can slowdown the ecosystem degradation and prevent the irreparable damage. The modern techniques of fishery management include fish quotas and bans, fish farming, coastal zone management and some other global mana gement like the struggle with poverty in the coastal zones. The human factor already created the trend to the collapse of ocean ecosystem, and the immediate measurer are necessary to prevent it.