Report on the Health of the World's Oceans (1)

Some fishing methods wreck more havoc than others, especially some methods used to fish for coral reef fish. The obstacle of the coral makes fishing with nets difficult, and some fishermen have resorted to using cyanide and explosives (32). The cyanide kills not only the target reef fish, but every other fish that contacts it, and reef building organisms as well (32). Explosives cause even more destruction, and can destroy large areas of reef (32).

Non-target animals can suffer casualties as bycatch. Turtles, marine mammals, unwanted fish and even birds are sometimes caught in the fishing nets. Shrimping alone presents some surprising statistics related to bycatch. For each pound of shrimp taken from the oceans around the world, there is 5.2 pounds of bycatch, resulting in 10 million tons of bycatch each year (8)! Each year worldwide, 124,000 sea turtles are killed, and in the Gulf of Mexico, 35 million red snapper die as bycatch from shrimp nets (8).

Individuals and groups trying to protect dolphins from being inadvertently caught by commercial fishers pursuing tuna, brought bycatch to our attention in the latter part of the twentieth century. Devices to limit bycatch have met with some success, but are not often a welcome addition to fishing boats. The devices can hinder fishermen, and further reduce their already dwindling catch.

Turtle exclusion devices, referred to as TEDs often allow fish and shrimp to escape with the turtles, and can be expensive (9). Shrimpers estimate that 10 to 40 percent of their shrimp catch is lost when using TEDs (10). An estimate made by University of Texas fishery economist, Wade Griffin, puts a price tag of $10 million a year on TEDs within the shrimping industry alone (11). Developing bycatch reduction devices, like the TEDs that don't hinder fishermen is a difficult proposition. Greg Faulkner, a developer of TED and bycatch reduction devices, made the statement, "It's like trying to develop a pit bull that won't bite." (9)

The problems of overfishing cannot be limited to one geographical area. The problem, and its effects are global. Migratory fish in particular face global overfishing pressures. Even with careful management and limited fishing in one region, the same fish may face severe fishing pressure in another region.

(continued next month)

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