Overfishing means catching fish faster than they can reproduce.

Overfishing can occur from bodies of water as small as a pond to as large as the ocean. When fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level this is called overfishing. "Ultimately overfishing may lead to resource depletion in cases of subsidised fishing, low biological growth rates and critical low biomass levels"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_fisheries). This quote is telling us that eventually fishing will be out of the question.

Fishing isn't just for food but it is also a time for families to get together and have fun. Don't you remember when you were little and your grandpa would take you to the lake and go fishing. You would wake up to a beautiful sunny day, have your breakfast and then head to the lake for a day of fishing. Remember how excited you were and the many stories your grandpa told you? Fishing can be fun! The best part is when you feel your first bite and then you start bringing in your fish. Your muscles are hurting and you start doubting whether you will be able to hold on to the fish, but then that glistening fish appears. Even though you felt really good that you caught the fish you usually feel even better when you let it go.

A fisheries ability to recover from overfishing depends on whether the conditions of the ecosystems are right for population growth. To predict acceptable levels scientist use Harvest Control Rule (HCR). The HCR is a variable over which management has some direct control as a function of some indicator of stock status. Constant catch and constant fishing mortality are two types of simple harvest control rules(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_fisheries). Input and output can also define fishing capacity. "An input-oriented fishing capacity is defined as the maximum available capital stock in a fishery that is fully utilized at the maximum technical efficiency in a given time period, given resource and market conditions" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_fisheries). "An output-oriented fishing capacity is defined as the maximum catch a vessel (fleet) can produce if inputs are fully utilized given the biomass, the fixed inputs, the age structure of the fish stock, and the present stage of technology" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_fisheries).

Overfishing does not just threat the target species but also the deep-sea ecosystems. Fish populations have been depleted to a point where large scale commercial fishing "is not economically viable without government assitance" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_fisheries). It is estimated that for every $1 earned fishing, $1.77 was required to be spent in catching and marketing the fish. Solutions to overfishing include the tragedy of the commons, fishing quotas and following the articles written in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The overfishing of sharks has caused a reduction in shellfish. Millions of sharks are killed each year for their fins. As the shark population declines due to overfishing, their prey such as the cownose rays have increased dramaticly. As the ray population increases then the more of their prey, such as scallops, decrease. One can see that the decrease in the shark population triggers a change throughout the food web. The coral reef's ecological balance and biodiversity are also affected by overfishing. A popular fish, the grouper, is removed from the ocean continuously. This removal causes their prey the damselfish to increase. The more damselfish in the ocean means damage to our coral reefs. Damselfish create pockets in our coral. The pockets are created so that the damselfish can feed upon the algae. Eventually these algaes can take over the reef and essentially smother it.

Tragedy of the commons creates solutions that would promote property rights, which include privatization and fish farming. Fishing quota allow fishermen to only legally take a certain amount of fish. Some areas of the sea are known as "no-go zones" which makes fishing there strictly illegal. A non-profit organization called the Marine Stewardship Council was established in 1997 in order to create a solution to the problem of overfishing. The Marine Stewardship Council has established an "environmental standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_fisheries). Three principles that are included in the MSC are: the condition of the fish stock(s) of the fishery, the impact of the fishery on the marine ecosystem and the fishery management system. Examples of the outcome of overfishing can been seen at the North Sea of Europe and the Grand Banks off the east coast of North America. If overfishing keeps occuring then eventually fishing will be no more.

Fisheries are a threat to billions of people who depend on fish for protein as well as people employed in the industry. In conclusion, overfishing is one of the world's major environmental problems. "Many bad effects and problems result from it including a decline in fish numbers and possible extinction of types of fish species, death of marine animals caught accidentily while fishing ('bycatch') and destruction to marine environments and ecosystems. Overfishing also is threatening the supply of food available to people who rely on fish as their main source of protein and putting jobs in the fishing industry at stake."(http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/overfishing.htm). Overcoming this problem is going to be hard but it is something that needs to be done. There are a number of actions that can be taken, we just need to take those actions and get involved in saving our environment.

Solutions to overfishing:

-Establish marine reserves

-Reduce bycatch

-Stamp out pirate fishing

-Reduce capacity migration

-Choose to buy organic farmed fish

-Limit fishing licenses

-Restrict foreign fishing

Sara Jane

Cycle of Overfishing

Advances in fishing technology make possible high-efficiency fishing practices. This results in higher catch levels and greater food abundance, pushing market prices lower. The lower market prices mean fishing operations make less profit and consumers and retailers waste more fish because waste is less economically detrimental at the lower prices. The increased wastefulness and the higher catch rates lead to lower fish populations; this, combined with the lower profits the fishing operations now garner, causes a need for ever greater efficiency in fishing operations. This drives further increases in fishing-fleet technology, and the whole cycle starts again.

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so, we were thinking about revising in this manner

Hundreds of Dead Penguins