Fishing How might an ocean ecosystem can be affected?

Answer 1

Fishing can have profound effects on the ecosystem of Earth's oceans.

Overfishing is a problem that is currently facing many fish species worldwide, with the Atlantic cod being one prominent example. Due to high demand for this species, the Atlantic cod have been fished to near commercial extinction. And repopulation efforts have thus far been unsuccessful, because the ecological niche once occupied by the cod has now been taken over by dogfish, which are outcompeting the cod that are struggling to regain some fraction of their former population size in the Atlantic. Overfishing presents a serious threat. It is estimated that we have already fished 90% of the planet's total population of large fish. It is also estimated that if current commercial fishing practices do not change, there will be nothing left to fish by mid-century.

Depending on the method, fishing can also have effects on species other than those being directly fished for. Many of the common methods used in commercial fisheries - purse seining, gillnetting, and trawls, as well as other types of nets and seines - are associated with high amounts of bycatch. This means that other marine organisms are getting caught along with the target species, and thus are dying entirely unnecessarily. Animals being caught as bycatch can range from dolphins to sea turtles to shorebirds to juveniles of the target fish species that do not meet minimum length requirements for the fisheries.

This does not mean that all fishing is necessarily bad. Fishing is an important food source for many cultures and areas. Methods such as traps and trolling have drastically lower bycatch associated with them, and strict regulations on fishing seasons and both minimum and maximum sizes of fish one is allowed to catch help decrease the negative impact of fishing on ocean ecosystems. But it is important that we be aware of the impact we are having on the oceans and work to preserve these important resources for future generations.

Answer 2

An ocean ecosystem can be affected by fishing in several ways. Overfishing can lead to a decline in fish populations and disrupt the balance of the ecosystem. Bycatch, the unintentional capture of non-target species, can harm marine life including turtles, dolphins, and seabirds. The use of destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling can damage habitats like coral reefs and seafloor, impacting other species that rely on those habitats.