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Overfishing our Oceans is a
Who We Are (Write Your Mission non-profit dedicated to
Statement) preventing overfishing and
protecting our marine life.
Our goals are to increase the
Purpose Statement Introducing number of MPAs in our
Goals oceans, introduce subsides
reform, and introducing safe
catch limits.
Increase numbers of MPAs
Goal #1
Subsides Reform
Goal #2
Introduce safe catch limits
Goal #3
Page 2: Paste your definition essay below after you have
made all the suggested revisions.
Overview: Overfishing can be described as “when more fish are caught than the population can
replace through natural reproduction.” (WWF) Overfishing not only can cause problems in the marine
environment, but it can also cause problems economically as well. The saltwater fishing industry is
worth around 9.2 million dollars annually. Overfishing in Florida could cut this value in half. According
to Juan Gonzales, an environmental science student at Florida International University, he states “A
majority of the fish in the Caribbean, Central Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico start their lives here in
South Florida. Overfishing here means less fish everywhere.” The purpose of this report is to analyze
both the economic and marine problems of overfishing. Give possible causes and effects as well as a
general overview of the topic.
, History: The earliest recordings of overfishing were in the early 1800s. According to National
Geographic these early recordings of overfishing were due to the rise in blubber for lamp oil, in turn
making the whale nearly hunted to extinction along with other species of fish. The overfishing only
continued to be a problem as technology advanced. By 1989, 90 million metric tons of fish were
harvested, and biodiversity decreased in the ocean (National Geographic). Large ocean fish had
reduced dramatically in the years following.
Causes: As stated previously, one of the main reasons for overfishing occurring was the demand for
whale blubber at the time. That is one of many causes of overfishing. One big reason is that only
fishing areas are very unprotected. With only 1.5% of the ocean’s surface is protected, this is one of
the leading causes of overfishing. The ocean is so hard to regulate and control areas of overfishing.
This also goes hand in hand with the fact that most of the overfishing occurring is in international
waters with no rules or regulations for it. Combine that with the lack of knowledge and information
about the fish populations and no monitoring, and you get some of the leading causes. (What Causes
Overfishing)
Effects: Not all the effects of overfishing have to do with marine life itself. The economic side of
overfishing has some of the worst downsides. Numerous communities rely on marine life as their
primary food source. With developing countries unable to access the technology that allows them to
keep up, their populations continue to plummet. For communities that live off fish economically, this
can pose a problem. “A lot of these communities that rely on fish for food also rely on low-level fishing
industries for economic viability (Conserve Energy Future).” Coral reef degradation is one of the main
chain reactions due to overfishing. Since the overgrowth of algae and abundance of smaller marine life
is flourishing because of the lack of larger marine predators’ coral reefs are taking a hit and leading to
a terrible aquatic ecosystem.
Describe the photos you have selected to accompany each section:
Overview: A group a fisherman with a literal boatload of fish
History: Whale blubber hunters
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