Ocean overfishing is simply the taking of wildlife from the sea at rates too high for fished species to replace themselves. The earliest overfishing occurred in the early 1800s when humans, seeking blubber for lamp oil, decimated the whale population. Some fish that we eat, including Atlantic cod and herring and California's sardines, were also harvested to the brink of extinction by the mid-1900s.

1. Hasan Mohammad, Saeed Baig & Musbah Fayed
The End of the Line…
…The Geography of Fishing

2. 40 tons of coral destroyed in Pacific Ocean
300,000 porpoises and dolphins die annually
100 millions sharks caught every year
Over 80% of shark species disappeared from the
Atlantic Ocean
As many as 90% of all the ocean’s large fish have
been fished out
FAST FACTS AND FIGURES

3.  Catching fish at a faster rate
than they can reproduce.
 A non-sustainable use of the
oceans leading to extinction
of marine life.
 On a global scale we have
enough fishing capacity to
cover at least four Earth like
planets.
 Many fishing methods are
so harmful that they are
unsustainable in their own
way.

4. FISHING CYCLE

5. Technological advances
Fish stocks are going down
Humans catch more fish
Solutions

6.  If overfishing continues, fish
populations will be reduced
even more, no matter what
measures are taken.
 Overfishing not only depletes
the fish but seriously harms
marine ecosystems.
 Because the fish population
has decreased so much, many
other species have been placed
at risk because they now lack
their major food source.

7.  Fish Stocks (1):
o 52% of fish stocks are fully exploited
o 20% are moderately exploited
o 17% are overexploited
o 7% are depleted
o 1% is recovering from depletion
 Between 1950 and 1994, the ocean fishing industry increased the
total catch by 400%. (3)
 Global Fish Stocks are expected to Collapse by 2050 at Current
Exploitation Rates. (3)
 THE CURRENT LEVEL OF GLOBAL FISH CATCH IS IN NO WAY
SUSTAINABLE!!!

8. The graph points out that current levels of fishing are obviously
unsustainable.

9. These 10 ecosystems were studied for their MMSY, or multi-species
maximum sustainable yield. Fishing below MMSY provides ecosystems

10.  Huge negative effects on the global economy and spawns
malnutrition.
 Global fisheries provide about $225 - $240 billion each year.
 If more sustainable practices were used, there would be a $36
billion addition to that yearly profit – 16% increase in global
income.
 Between 1950 and 2004, the planet's lost out on about 10
million tons of fish catch.
 20 million people a year suffer from malnutrition.
 Global governments spend about $27 billion a year on subsidies
to the fishing industry, 60% of which goes towards unsustainable
fishing operations.

11.  Cause: Commercially valuable, bigger, slower growing
species have been overfished. (e.g., tuna, cod,
snapper)
 Effect: The oceans are overpopulated with large
quantities of smaller species of fish with less
commercial value (squid, sardines,
oysters, mussels and shrimp).
 Less predatory
pressure
 Less competition
for food
 Predators deprived of
food source needed in
order to re-establish the population

12.  These are living creatures caught
unintentionally by fishing gear.
 Unlike target species, bycatch is
unwanted and often unused.
 Bycatch may be kept or sold
 Bycatch might be thrown back as
discard if not usable, possibly still
with injuries from the equipment.
 Additionally, handling and exposure
sometimes injure the bycatch, which
may die after being discarded.
 This affects the current population and
influences the species’ opportunity to
reproduce.

13. Gillnetting – A invisible to
fish fine-filament net
used for capturing mainly
salmon, cod and sardine.
Damages other species.
Cyanide fishing – Cyanide is
used to stun and capture
live coral reef fish. Cheap
and effective but illegal.

14. Explosive fishing – the
use of dynamite or other
explosives to kill fish.
Causes major destruction
of reefs.
Long-line fishing – long baited
hooks used to catch swordfish,
tuna, sharks, birds, and turtles.
They are estimated to kill
180,000 birds worldwide every
year.

15.  Bottom Trawling-
Dragging huge, heavy
nets along the sea
floor.
 Large metal plates and
rubber wheels attached
to these nets move
along the bottom and
crush nearly everything
in their path.
 Marine life’s very slow
to recover from such
damage.

16. Individual Fishing
Quota (IFQ)
Fish farming
Fishing suspension
Marine Stewardship
Council
Protected areas
Awareness
LONG TERMSHORT TERM

17. Government sets allowable catch
Fisherman given sellable
“property rights”
Fishermen have incentive to fish less.
A large-scale study in 2008 found IFQs
significantly lowered the risk of economic
collapses in fisheries and fisheries closing down.
Or: both processors and fishermen have quota.

18.  The farming of aquatic
organisms – keeping them
under controlled conditions
 Reduces the worlds dependence
on wild stocks of fish
 Helps to feed the worlds growing
population.
 Negative impact on wild species
 Examples: – salmon: carnivores
which need protein -> comes
from forage fish -> salmon
wants more forage fish ->
impacts survivability of wild
salmon

19.  The population of breeding tunas
has declined and will be wiped out
in 3 years if nothing is done.
 The size of mature tunas has more
than halved since the 1990s.
 The average size of tuna caught off
the coast of Libya has gone from
124kg in 2001 to only 65kg in
2013.
 Industrial fishing is the main reason
for the problem.
 WWF is calling for the immediate
closure of the Mediterranean bluefin
tuna fishery to give the species a
chance to recover and is trying to
create a marine reserve for bluefin
tuna in the Balearic Islands.

20.  Fishing is a competitive market as it is in high
demand. So when large businesses overfish,
smaller businesses are forced to overfish or
lose out.

21.  Governments realise the current trend of
unsustainable overfishing leads to long-term
profit loss, which they need to avoid.

22.  Marine biologists acknowledge the capability of
overfishing to drive species to extinction and
say stricter regulations need to be applied.

23.  $50billion is lost/year due to overfishing
creating a lack of future fish supplies. This’ bad
for countries’ economies, so governments have
tried to put in policies to reduce this loss.

24.  Friend of The Sea and the MSC (Marine
Stewardship Council) are organisations that
judge whether fisheries are sustainable or not.

25.  Individuals can promote awareness and
sustainable fishing by only eating fish MSC or
Friend of The Sea approved.

26. Thank You!

27.  http://overfishing.org/pages/what_is_overfishing.php.
[Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Overfishing. 2014. Overfishing. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://see-the-sea.org/topics/commerce/overfishing.htm.
[Accessed 14 March 2014].
 How Bad Is Overfishing & What Can We Do To Stop It? :
TreeHugger. 2014. How Bad Is Overfishing & What Can We Do
To Stop It? : TreeHugger. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/how-bad-is-overfishi
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Seafood production, consumption hit new heights -
SeafoodSource.com. 2014. Seafood production, consumption
hit new heights - SeafoodSource.com. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=4294
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/fish/part3.html

28.  Overfishing easing in some areas, study finds - World news -
World environment | NBC News. 2014. Overfishing easing in
some areas, study finds - World news - World environment | NBC
News. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32222783/ns/world_news-world_
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Dolores Gende: Environmental Science, Chapter 12. 2014.
Dolores Gende: Environmental Science, Chapter 12. [ONLINE]
Available at: http://apesnature.homestead.com/chapter12.html.
[Accessed 14 March 2014].
 .2014. . [ONLINE] Available at:
http://food.change.org/blog/view/overfishing_hurts_economy_pub
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].

29.  WWF - Mediterranean bluefin tuna stocks collapsing now as
fishing season opens. 2014. WWF - Mediterranean bluefin tuna
stocks collapsing now as fishing season opens. [ONLINE]
Available at:
http://wwf.panda.org/?162001/Mediterranean-bluefin-tuna-stocks
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Marine reserves | Greenpeace International . 2014. Marine
reserves | Greenpeace International . [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/m
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 http://www.american.edu/TED/anchovy.htm

30.  Salmon. 2014. Salmon. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/Issues/Fisheries/Salmon.html
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 New study offers solution to global fisheries collapse. 2014. New
study offers solution to global fisheries collapse. [ONLINE]
Available at:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/s-nso091208.p
. [Accessed 14March 2014].
 Science news and science jobs from New Scientist - New
Scientist. 2014. Science news and science jobs from New
Scientist - New Scientist. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.newscientist.com/. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Bottom trawling | Greenpeace International . 2014. Bottom
trawling | Greenpeace International . [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/save-our-sea
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].

31.  Publications | World Resources Institute. 2014. Publications |
World Resources Institute. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.wri.org/publication/reefs-at-risk/cyanide-fishing.
[Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Gillnetting for Salmon in Alaska - How Gillnetters Work. 2014.
Gillnetting for Salmon in Alaska - How Gillnetters Work. [ONLINE]
Available at:
http://www.jobmonkey.com/alaska/html/gillnetting.html.
[Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Blast fishing. 2014. Blast fishing. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.tracc.00server.com/Fisheries/blast_fishing/blastfishin
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 http://www.providence.edu/polisci/students/aquaculture/environm

32.  Destructive fishing - CopperWiki. 2014. Destructive fishing -
CopperWiki. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php?title=Destructive_fishing.
[Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Bycatch. 2014. Bycatch. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/factsheets/Bycatch.html. [Accessed
14 March 2014].
 h Columbia River History. 2014. Columbia River History.
[ONLINE] Available at:
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth481/sal/crintro1.htm.
[Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Pacific Northwest Salmon Center, Belfair, WA. 2014. Pacific
Northwest Salmon Center, Belfair, WA. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.pnwsalmoncenter.org/. [Accessed 14 March 2014].

33.  SeaWeb - Ocean Briefing Book. 2014. SeaWeb - Ocean Briefing
Book. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.seaweb.org/resources/briefings/fishdownweb.php.
[Accessed 14 March 2014].

34.  WWF - Environmental own goals: Overfishing. 2014. WWF -
Environmental own goals: Overfishing. [ONLINE] Available
at:
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/teacher_resources/o
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 http://undercovercop.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ww
 Macalester College Environmental Studies Department.
2014. Macalester College Environmental Studies
Department. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.macalester.edu/environmentalstudies/students/
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].

35.  http://www.wwf.org.ph/gallery.php?filter=3
 http://www2.convention.co.jp/maguro/e_maguro/e_tuna_facts.htm
 Mission 2011 : Saving the Oceans. 2014. Mission 2011 : Saving
the Oceans. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2011/finalwebsite/problem/pre
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 World Governments Adopt Sustainable Fisheries Resolution,
environment news. 2014. World Governments Adopt Sustainable
Fisheries Resolution, environment news. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://earthhopenetwork.net/World_Governments_Adopt_Sustainab
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].

36.  Archives of biology blog. 2014. Archives of biology blog. [ONLINE]
Available at:
http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/archives/Biology-blog/5205250
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Alaska State Fish - King Salmon. 2014. Alaska State Fish - King
Salmon. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Alaska/Fish_King_Salmon.html.
[Accessed 14 March 2014].
 DEPI - Fisheries Victoria positioning statement. 2014. DEPI -
Fisheries Victoria positioning statement. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/fishing-and-hunting/fisheries/industry-ov
. [Accessed 20 March 2014].

37.  Moyola Angling Club : 'Salmon farms a threat'. 2014. Moyola
Angling Club : 'Salmon farms a threat'. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.moyolaangling.com/content/?id=31&l1id=22&l2id=30
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 EcoLocalizer | News & commentary on sustainability, activism,
urban planning, politics, and our world.. 2014. EcoLocalizer |
News & commentary on sustainability, activism, urban planning,
politics, and our world.. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/04/15/mediterranean-bluefin-tuna-w
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 WWF - Oh no! The page you are looking for has gone extinct....
2014. WWF - Oh no! The page you are looking for has gone
extinct.... [ONLINE] Available at:
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/smart_fishing/sustaina
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].

38.  Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) caught as bycatch
in gillnet. © Projeto Tamar Brazil - Image Bank The photos
contained in this lightbox are the property of Conservation
International (CI) and CI’s partners. Photos may only be used or
distributed in conjunction with the content of CI’s press release,
“Millions of Sea Turtles are Collateral Damage in the Race for
Fish.”. 2014. Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
caught as bycatch in gillnet. © Projeto Tamar Brazil - Image Bank
The photos contained in this lightbox are the property of
Conservation International (CI) and CI’s partners. Photos may only
be used or distributed in conjunction with the content of CI’s
press release, “Millions of Sea Turtles are Collateral Damage in
the Race for Fish.”. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/11627606_JyU7i/1/819830271
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].

39.  Chile Reduces Jack Mackerel Overfishing | The Beacon: Oceana's
Blog. 2014. Chile Reduces Jack Mackerel Overfishing | The
Beacon: Oceana's Blog. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://na.oceana.org/en/blog/2010/10/chile-reduces-jack-mackere
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 Sustainable Fisheries - MarineBio.org. 2014. Sustainable
Fisheries - MarineBio.org. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://marinebio.org/oceans/conservation/sustainable-fisheries.asp
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 World Vegetarian And Vegan News: June 2009. 2014. World
Vegetarian And Vegan News: June 2009. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://veganworldwidenews.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.htm
. [Accessed 14 March 2014].
 http://www.cdnn.info/news/article/a030429.html

40.  Lab 4: To Fish or Not to Fish?. 2014. Lab 4: To Fish or Not to
Fish?. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/fisheries/4.html. [Accessed 14
March 2014].
 Are Fish Farms the Way to Meet Growing Fish Consumption? -
Chef's Blade. 2014. Are Fish Farms the Way to Meet Growing Fish
Consumption? - Chef's Blade. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://chefsblade.monster.com/news/articles/470-are-fish-
farms-the-way-to-meet-growing-fish-consumption. [Accessed 14
March 2014].
 Fishing Down the Food Web Turns 10! – Shifting Baselines. 2014.
Fishing Down the Food Web Turns 10! – Shifting Baselines.
[ONLINE] Available at:
http://scienceblogs.com/shiftingbaselines/2008/02/fishing_do
wn_the_food_web_turn.php. [Accessed 14 March 2014].

41.  Information by label | Purple Dot. 2014. Information by label |
Purple Dot. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.purpledot.org/mapping/information-by-label.
[Accessed 20 March 2014].
 Fish-Hawk.Net • View topic - Aug. 7th - 28 Inch Blue Walleye.
2014. Fish-Hawk.Net • View topic - Aug. 7th - 28 Inch Blue
Walleye. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.fish-
hawk.net/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=40780&start=15. [Accessed 20
March 2014].
 20 years of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
2014. 20 years of the United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/conventio
n_20years.htm. [Accessed 23 March 2014].

42.  Inmagic DB/Text WebPublisher PRO found 12 records. 2014.
Inmagic DB/Text WebPublisher PRO found 12 records. [ONLINE]
Available at: http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?
AC=SEE_ALSO&QF0=Descriptor&QI0==%22CITES+appendices
%22&XC=/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll&BU=%3Ca+href
%3D&TN=iucn&SN=AUTO7121&SE=1&RN=73&MR=0&TR=0&TX
=1000&ES=0&CS=1&XP=&RF=WebAff&EF=&DF=WebAff&RL=0
&EL=0&DL=0&NP=1&ID=&MF=&MQ=&TI=0&DT=&ST=0&IR=41
23&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&BG=&FG=&QS=&OEX=ISO-8859-
1&OEH=ISO-8859-1. [Accessed 23 March 2014].
 Archives - January 2012 - Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Policy & Practice. 2014. Archives - January 2012 - Small Island
Developing States (SIDS) Policy & Practice. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://sids-l.iisd.org/2012/01/. [Accessed 23 March 2014].

43.  Friend of the Sea - Pharma Marine. 2014. Friend of the Sea -
Pharma Marine. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.calamarine.com/default.aspx?menu=60. [Accessed
23 March 2014].