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Empty Oceans, Empty Nets Essay by Alejandra Ramrez 1A 2010 2011 I.E. V. Caada Blanch, Londres Scientists claim that by the year 2048 the oceans will be empty of fish. Some of the points that I will be discussing in this essay are the causes of this phenomenon and some solutions for it. Another point is how due to this problem, many fish are already extinct or close to becoming extinct. I will be focusing on the blue fin tuna in particular. If we start considering what is happening in the fish industry, we can stop or at least slow down the rate in which this issue is developing. When thinking about possible solutions to the overfishing problem, at first it may seem that the problem is that we are catching too many fish out of the sea. That is certainly a big part of it, but there are a number of other factors to consider as well:

The unintentional removal of non-targeted species during fishing operations. Destruction of coastal and ocean-floor breeding habitats. Pollution. Climate change (Global Warming). Illegal and unregulated fishing.

As consumers, one thing we can start doing immediately is choosing fish that are not in danger of being overfished for our dinner plates. Another solution is to reduce the limits for fish caught and to shorten the fishing season. Many fish have already become extinct, but some, like the blue fin tuna are on the edge of extinction. Blue fin tuna are the source of many types of sushi and sashimi. The fish is also used often in Mediterranean cuisine. Japan is by far the world's largest consumer, with

fleets from Spain, Italy and France. Because of overfishing, only 3% of this type of fish remains in the ocean. The solution, experts say, is to stick to skipjack tuna (but in moderation), a more common variety that has been caught using a method called poleand-line, which avoids accidentally netting blue fin tuna and other sea life. Yet there are fisheries being run in a sustainable way. We now need to improve the way the remaining fisheries are being run. However, the issue is not just having seafood on our plates. Ocean species filter toxins from the water. They protect shorelines and every single animal, even the smallest or the most insignificant one is there for a reason and their extinction would affect the worlds balance. In other words, everything that lives in the ocean is important. The diversity of ocean life is the key to its survival; the areas of the ocean with the most different kinds of life are the healthiest. "It's not too late. We can turn this around," scientist say. "But less than 1% of the global ocean is effectively protected right now." Humans have been fishing the oceans for thousands of years, but over the past decades technology has allowed us to fish farther, deeper and more efficiently than ever before. Scientists estimate that we have removed 90 percent of the large predatory fish such as shark, swordfish and cod from the world's oceans. In conclusion, every day people eat something that has come from the oceans in one way or another. If we think about how much fish we catch a day and how many animals in the ocean and on land eat as well, that is how much fish are gone every day; it turns out to be an unexpected and huge amount. Some countries that are entirely based on seafood, like for example Japan, will be gone, for they will not be able to trade their fish or even eat it as there will be none left. They will have to find other ways of eating and also find other animals to eat. If we are fishing every day and catching millions of fish, add up to 365 days and we would conclude that we are losing tons and tons of fish each year. This eventually will cause our oceans to be depleted of fish and empty oceans mean empty nets.

Sources: http://www.lib.noaa.gov/retiredsites/china/fishing.htm http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/06-07/overfishing-article.htm http://www.pbs.org/emptyoceans/ http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1521 http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx http://www.theoceanproject.org/action/involve.php