Environmental Effects
There is also growing evidence that the increased volume of fishing activity worldwide is having a very serious effect on the health of the oceans as a whole. When commercially valuable species are over exploited all species and habitats that share the same ecosystem are affected.
Recent studies suggest that overfishing of large shark species has had a ripple effect in the shark’s food chain, increasing the number of species that are usually prey for large sharks, resulting in declining stocks of smaller fish and shellfish favored by these species. This is commonly seen when a prey species is removed from the food chain both in the ocean and on the land.
In addition to harvesting large amounts of fish and seafood to sell, large-scale fishing operations catch and often unintentionally kill untargeted marine life, including juvenile fish, corals and other bottom-feeding organisms, sharks, whales, sea turtles, and birds. Based on new information about the dynamics of marine ecosystems, more and more countries and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) are adopting an ecosystem-based approach to the management of fish stocks.
Recent studies suggest that overfishing of large shark species has had a ripple effect in the shark’s food chain, increasing the number of species that are usually prey for large sharks, resulting in declining stocks of smaller fish and shellfish favored by these species. This is commonly seen when a prey species is removed from the food chain both in the ocean and on the land.
In addition to harvesting large amounts of fish and seafood to sell, large-scale fishing operations catch and often unintentionally kill untargeted marine life, including juvenile fish, corals and other bottom-feeding organisms, sharks, whales, sea turtles, and birds. Based on new information about the dynamics of marine ecosystems, more and more countries and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) are adopting an ecosystem-based approach to the management of fish stocks.
