Essay 2

Simret Mulugeta

Prof: Ishai Barnoye

Eng 111

Essay 2

By-catch

“No one can go back and make a brand new start; anyone can start from now and make a brand new end.” Clearly, there are many urgent issues in this world that many of us are aware or not aware about. About 80 percent of the world is covered by water. Within these waters there are numerous fishes that are impossible to estimate. According to Melvin L. Warren, Fisheries Research Scientist at Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research, there are 5,000,000 species of fishes yet to be found, and since 1993 about three new species were being found every week (Michael L. 2001). Even though, scientists have discovered only few fish species, no one knows how many of them are out there. Regardless of this situation, there are yet certain fish species that are endangered of death due human consumption. There is an issue that threatens the existence of sea creatures which is called by catch. Even though, many people might not be aware of this problem, I decided to write about it because dolphins always grab my attention. 

By-catch happens when fish and other sea animals caught in fishing net along with the desired kind of fish. Species such as dolphins, porpoises, and whales are affected by-catch. Also, By-catch occurs as a result of several incorrect methods of fishing. It is a major problem in fisheries caused by too many fishermen fishing in the same area as well as disregarding for the fish population itself. So many fish other than the fish that the fishermen are trying to catch are being caught by accident.  This causes the fish to die, get hurt, or get sold illegally because the fishermen didn’t mean to catch this fish.  There are many death evidences of by-catch on media. For instance, on February 7, 2004 Esperanza ship monitored UK fisheries for evidence of dolphin deaths in trawler nets. They found five dead dolphins, floating in the vicinity of two sets of pair trawlers.” The five dolphins had been trapped in the net and drowned in the struggle to escape. All of the animals had cuts to their beaks; fins and flippers. Dolphins die every year as accidental by-catch.  

Trawling is a method of fishing used to catch sea bass during the winter. Huge nets (some can hold 10 jumbo jets) are towed in mid water at high speed by two fishing boats to catch fish such as sea bass.”  These species are caught accidentally in the same nets and dragged to their death. Moreover, if we consider the amount of sea food available for consumption in the U.S., fishing is one of the major industry and a way for people to make living. However, some methods of fishing have a major affect on a certain species. Apparently, fishers have tried different approach to avoid this incident, but most of them have a lack of knowledge to avoid fishing areas where there is high level of by-catch. The issue is very urgent to the point species will be killed and be unsustainable in few years. According to The Fish Site Latest News, by-catch and Fishing Threaten Shark Extinction, the percentage of open ocean shark species threatened with extinction is higher for the sharks taken in high-seas fisheries. Many species of seabird, including albatross species, are threatened with extinction because of long lining, which kills more than 300,000 seabirds each year. 

By catch is also expensive problem that fishers lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year because of the loss of species and non-target fish to by catch. On top of this, with so many fish, including young fish, being wastefully discarded, by catch is contributing to the global problem of overfishing and declining marine ecosystem health, and endangering food security in poorer countries. Wherever there is fishing, there is by catch, and the numbers of animals being needlessly killed makes by catch one of the greatest and most insidious threats to life in the oceans. All human beings should care about this issue to make a difference, not only fish eaters, seafood lovers, or People who are interested in keeping their environment and ecosystem.

                                           Work Cited

McKinney, Michael L. “Effects of human population, area, and time on non-native plant and fish

Diversity in the United States.” Biological Conservation 100.2 (2001): 243-252.

Greenpeace.org (2004) Dolphin 'by catch' death evidence | Greenpeace International. [online] Available at: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/dolphin-bycatch-death-eviden/ [Accessed: 24 Apr 2012].

Conservation.org (2009) Third of open ocean sharks threatened with extinction - Conservation International. [Online] Available at: http://www.conservation.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Pages/Third-of-Open-Ocean-Sharks-Threatened-With-Extinction.aspx [Accessed: 24 Apr 2012].