Industrial Fishing

A marine biologist from DalHousie university says that by the year 2050, that in order to avoid a global marine apocalypse such industrial fishing methods like bottom trawling and zoning ocean regions for specific uses need to be scaled back. Industrialized fishing methods, like trawling, are one of the driving forces that are leading to the depletion of the worlds marine biodiversity. A DalHousie university professor, Boris Worm, co-authored a book that predicted a collapse in the wolrds fish and seafood species within the first half of this century. The university professor spoke to the provincial government commitee on resource management and said that there is still a window of oppurtunity to prevent such a disaster, but this window is getting smaller and smaller every time a species from the marine environment disappears. "Once it's gone, it's gone...". There is no way to bring a species back once there gone, the only thing to do is leave it be and let recover on its own. The professors report stated that there has been a huge decline in the number of catches since fishing methods such as long-line and deep-sea dragging fishing methods have become world-wide in the 1950's. Along with pollution, destruction of habitat and climate change, is destroying the marine life. The professor thinks that people should go back to the old techniques of using a fishing hook and line, which also results in a better product and zero by-catches. This technique is being used in some parts of the world, like Iceland, where a boat operated by a single fisherman goes out. Mr. Worm does not think all bottom trawling is bad. He thinks it is okay in places liek the North Sea, which have sandy surfaces, and should only be done in places like that. He thinks that places that are used as spawning grounds should be protected from fishing.

I think people, along with government agencies, should start listening to what people like Mr. Worm has to say about the worlds oceans before it is too late. If people do not start doing something about it today, then there will be nothing left. The worlds oceans provide a lot of resources and to be able to have those resources replenished, then people need to stop things like over-fishing and bottom trawling. They should also stop thinking so much about money and more about the marine habitat. But these days, that is all a lot of people really care about, money. they do not care about what they do to get it or what ahppens as an end result. When there is nothing left in our oceans, that is when people will stop and think.

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~ http://www.herald.ns.ca/NovaScotia/554733.html