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Biology 1229. Fisheries… or… Should fish be on the menu?. Fish on the menu…. At least 2.5 Billion people depend on fish for more than 20% of the protein in their diet 97 % of fishers are in developing countries. Why might fish be on the list?. Mercury. Why might fish be on the list?.
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Biology 1229 Fisheries… or… Should fish be on the menu?
Fish on the menu… • At least 2.5 Billion people depend on fish for more than 20% of the protein in their diet • 97 % of fishers are in developing countries
Why might fish be on the list? • Mercury
Why might fish be on the list? • Farming practices unsustainable • Shrimp farming in Mexico destroys mangrove forests • Salmon farming • Escapes • Parasites • Eutrophication
Why might fish be on the list? • Fishery unsustainable or environmentally damaging Bottom trawling Bycatch from a shrimp net!
How does a harvested population work? • Note: “sustainable” is economic, not based on the population!!! • It is possible to derive a MSY from population data using growth rate and harvest rate
Orange RoughyHoplostethus atlanticus • Slow, ugly, demersal fish (“Slimehead”) • Mature at 20-30 • Live up to 156 years (depending on who you listen to…) • Harvested by bottom trawling around sea mounts • Fishing, or mining?
What about recreational fishing? Including menhaden and pollock Commercial Fishery Recreational fishery as a %age of commercial But the vast majority of several high-value, threatened species (e.g. Red Snapper) are caught recreationally
Not just fish suffer… • Effects on seabirds & other top predators • Effects on erosion and flood control (e.g. New Orleans) • Economic effects of fishery collapse (Newfoundland)
Top 20 countries for unsustainable fishing… • China • Peru • Japan • Chile • USA 18. Canada
What future? • Some authors predict the collapse of ALL fisheries by 2048 • Sustainable management is possible… requires • Reliable data • Reliable fisherman • A pretty decent navy • End of oil may result in reduced fishery pressure
Ownership of fisheries prevents collapse With ITQ Without ITQ Number of Individual transferable quota (ITQ) fisheries
See also http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp