Can we ensure responsible fishing?

When fish and other marine species are removed from aquatic environments at a rate faster than their populations can naturally replenish, this is known as overfishing of that area.
This unsustainable practice puts millions of people and other species whose survival depends on fish and other marine species in danger, as well as biodiversity and marine ecosystems.
Currently, the fishing industry takes about 80 billion kilograms of marine life out of the rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans every year. The world’s fisheries could collapse if we keep going at this rate.
To illustrate how much 80 billion kilos is, the massive container ship named the M/V Maersk Mc-Kinney has a dry weight of 165,000 metric tonnes. This massive ship can carry 18,000 20ft sea containers.
80 billion kilos is 80 million tonnes, if we divide 80 million tonnes by 165,000 tonnes, the result rounded up equates to 485 of these ships, imagine 485 M/V Maersk Mc-Kinney’s side by side in the ocean.
So yes, rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans are still seriously threatened by overfishing.
The ongoing depletion of fish stocks and other marine species threatens the survival of numerous species that depend on healthy marine ecosystems as well as the livelihoods of millions of people, and nothing has changed in recent years.
To guarantee the long-term sustainability of fisheries and the preservation of aquatic biodiversity, sustainable fishing methods are essential.
This entails passing laws establishing catch limitations, gear limitations, and marine protected areas.
It has been shown that rights-based fishery management, in which fishermen receive a portion of the catch and are encouraged to employ sustainable methods, works well in promoting long-term planning and ethical fishing.
One of the main concerns is the issue of industrial fishing practices, specifically the use of destructive methods like bottom trawling.
These methods cause serious by-catch of non-target species and damage marine habitats in addition to depleting target species.
Super trawlers are enormous fishing boats that can catch thousands of tonnes of fish and other marine life.
Their negative effects on the world’s waterways are especially worrisome and I think many would agree with me that they should be made illegal.
Their activities have the capacity to wipe out entire ecosystems, causing unfixable devastation in their wake.
“By-catch,” or the unintentional capture of non-target species, is a serious problem that is exacerbated by industrial fishing methods.
It disrupts food chains, lessens the number of vulnerable species, and erodes the resilience of marine ecosystems across the world.
Gaining control over the global fishing industry, particularly industrial fishing, can be accomplished through a variety of strategies.
To combat overfishing and unsustainable fishing practices, stronger laws, international cooperation, and the adoption of sustainable fishing techniques are all necessary.
By supporting research, developing state-of-the-art technologies for fish stock monitoring, and promoting sustainable aquaculture, it is possible to guarantee the long-term sustainability of fisheries.
Supermarkets have been attempting to persuade us for years that the fish or marine species for sale in their stores were caught ethically by promoting products with such statements on the labels.
It hasn’t worked, and it hasn’t changed human behaviour enough to justify the costs of changing the labels.
Humans simply do not care enough about the environment or ethical fishing practices to forego the items they want from a supermarket.
Finally, if we want to make a dent in the problems caused by overfishing and destructive industrial fishing practices, we must take tough measures.
If we truly want to protect the health of our oceans and aquatic ecosystems, the actions that will be most effective will be those about which we will all complain.
For example, here’s one idea for everyone to think about, and I am confident that it will be the most effective way to address the issue of global overfishing in the oceans, seas, rivers, and lakes.
It is to simply stop eating fish and other marine life such as prawns, crabs, lobsters, squid, and so on.
If there is no demand, no fishing is required, and our waterways will have a chance to heal.