The picture above is of a commercial fishing boat. One of the major concerns for the future of fishing is overfishing. Overfishing is not just caused by commercial fisherman, but they are the most recognizable culprit. Due to the large amount of fish and other sea life that these boats haul in on a regular basis, it is important that law makers establish firm guidelines when regulating just how much they are allowed to catch and keep. Without these laws, the profit hungry commercial fisherman would strip our oceans of certain fish without concern for the affects on population and breeding of these species. My personal feelings about this problem are satisfied on one side but concerned on the other. I feel that the lawmakers have done a good job in setting the limits and rules for fishing, but I don't feel like adequate resources have been made available for the law officers that are tasked with enforcing the rules and regulations.
The other major concern that affects the future of fishing is pollution. Pollution is probably the single most damaging event in terms of killing fish. Pollution can range from household garbage and trash, to thousands of gallons of oil and other harmful chemicals. Pollution not only kills or sickens adult fish, but it also destroys millions of fish eggs that are the future breeding generations of thousands of species. When we wipe out that many eggs, we not only hurt the immediate fish population but also the population for years to come. Even the fish that survive an encounter with pollution may not be safe for humans or other sea life to consume. This cycle does not just affect the amount of consumable fish for humans but also for the rest of the chain of life. The birds, whales, and seals that depend on fish for survival are also put at risk of starvation and sickness. I feel that this particular problem is squarely mankind's fault. We have dumped our waste wherever we want for hundreds of years, and now the effects of that carelessness are coming back to haunt us. We have not even come close to doing enough when it comes to cleaning up pollution and preventing future pollution. Each day we add massive amounts of pollution to our ecosystem, and the majority of all pollution winds up in the ocean.
In general I feel that we are taking the right steps to prevent overfishing, but we have not even scratched the surface of what we need to do concerning pollution. As long as we are more concerned about money and comfort, our water's will suffer for our actions. The task of cleaning up our world is a daunting one, but if we do not start to seriously consider the consequences of our actions, then we will not have a fish population or an inhabitable world left.
In general I feel that we are taking the right steps to prevent overfishing, but we have not even scratched the surface of what we need to do concerning pollution. As long as we are more concerned about money and comfort, our water's will suffer for our actions. The task of cleaning up our world is a daunting one, but if we do not start to seriously consider the consequences of our actions, then we will not have a fish population or an inhabitable world left.
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