Overfishing aff inherency
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Bio-D I/LOverfishing is collapsing ecosystems and biodiversity loss can come without warningRoss 14 “Overfishing Causes Ecosystems To ‘Unravel,’ Fish Populations Can’t Recover After ‘Tipping Points’ Reached” By Philip Ross, International Business Times, on January 14 2014 accessed 6/30/14 at http://www.ibtimes.com/overfishing-causes-ecosystems-unravel-fish-populations-cant-recover-after-tipping-points-reached. (Ross holds an M.A. in Journalism from New York University and a B.A. in International Development Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.) As improvements in technology and large-scale fishing methods have made commercial fishing more efficient, faster and more profitable, fish populations around the world have suffered. Starting in the early 1800s, humans have harvested several species of fish to the brink of extinction. Overfishing is an ecological disaster that affects entire ecosystems, and a new study highlights this point in bright, neon color.¶ Researchers in the U.S. analyzed fisheries data from around the globe, examining the cumulative effect that occurs when overfishing depletes a particular population. The results of their investigation, described in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December, underscore the effect that eliminating one species has on the ecosystem as a whole. When one fish is no longer there, the entire ecosystem changes, researchers contend, and once that “tipping point” has been reached, the species can no longer bounce back.¶ “You don’t realize how interdependent species are until it all unravels,” Felicia Coleman, director of the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory and a co-author on the study, said in a statement.¶ The authors noted one particular example of ecosystem collapse that occurred off the coast of Namibia in southwest Africa. In the 1970s, the northern Benguela ecosystem completely changed as stocks of anchovy and sardines plummeted. With anchovy and sardines on the way out, bearded goby and jellyfish stepped in to take their place. Which animals suffered the most? It was actually the populations of African penguins and Cape gannets that bore the brunt of overfishing in the region. The birds couldn’t survive on goby and jellyfish, and as a result, their numbers declined by 77 percent and 94 percent, respectively.¶ "When you put all these examples together, you realize there really is something important going on in the world's ecosystems," Joseph Travis, a biological science professor at Florida State University and one of the study’s co-authors, said in a statement. "It's easy to write off one case study. But, when you string them all together as this paper does, I think you come away with a compelling case that tipping points are real, we've crossed them in many ecosystems, and we'll cross more of them unless we can get this problem under control."¶ Part of the problem, scientists say, is consumer ignorance about the fish they eat and where it comes from. Also, researchers warn that the fishing industry needs a massive overhaul, otherwise the world’s food supply will collapse.¶ “What we have today are multinational fleets of roving bandits that conduct serial depletions and move to more productive grounds,” Robert Steneck from the University of Maine and a co-author of the study told Quartz. “People in the U.S. are insulated from the reality of overfishing by seeing fish well stocked in their grocery stores.”¶ “Overfishing and environmental change have triggered many severe and unexpected consequences,” the authors note in the study. “As existing communities have collapsed, new ones have become established, fundamentally transforming ecosystems to those that are often less productive for fisheries, more prone to cycles of booms and busts, and thus less manageable.”¶ Researchers say a “lack of appreciation” on the part of fisheries and their management for the complexity of interspecies relationships is greatly affecting how we treat our world’s stocks of fish.¶ “Ecologists have come to understand that networks of interacting species exhibit nonlinear dynamics and feedback loops that can produce sudden and unexpected shifts,” they wrote. “We argue that fisheries science and management must follow this lead by developing a sharper focus on species interactions and how disrupting these interactions can push ecosystems in which fisheries are embedded past their tipping points.”¶ Fishing experts generally understand the effects overfishing have on fish populations and ecosystems alike, but scientists say more research is needed. A 2006 study in the journal Science estimated that by 2048, all the world’s fisheries will have collapsed, if fishing rates remain unchanged. Biodiversity in the deep sea is important to manage climate change, feed humanity, and make advances in science and technologyOliveira in 2012 (José Antonio Puppim de, Assistant Director and Senior Research Fellow at the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, “Green Economy and Good Governance for Sustainable Development : Opportunities, Promises and Concerns”, New York : United Nations University. 2012, p 221-224, EBSCO) The importance of biodiversity in deep and open oceans The deep seabed and open oceans of the world that lie beyond the jurisdiction of individual countries were long considered remote, hostile and biologically barren. Although these areas have captured the imagination of explorers both past and present. the vast majority of the world’s population has not given them much thought, and their management and conservation have taken a back seat to more pressing day-to-day concerns. Hence, these arcas were viewed as a source of fish proteins and as routes for transporting commodities, cruise-ship tourism. military activities or the laying of underwater cables, all with practically no strings attached. In fact, these and other human activities in the deep and open oceans,3 including oil and mineral exploration and marine scientific research, were conducted with little attention to possible adverse impacts on the marine environment. Yet, recent research has shown that open oceans and deep seas not only are incredibly diverse biologically also are vital for our survival on Earth (Koslo4 2007). Our economies, be they global or local, and our livelihoods and well-being are directly tied to the food resources, climate regulation and potential for scientific and technological innovation that are provided by the oceans. Without them, life as we know it would not be possible. Similarly, sustainable development will not be achievable without their improved management. Recent scientific studies have shown that biodiversity in the oceans provides numerous benefits to people. which include food resources, regulation of the Earth’s climate and cancer-curing medicines. Life in the deep sea has been found to play a fundamental role in global biogeochemical cycles. including nutrient regeneration and production of oxygen, as well as the maintenance of the Earth’s climate through the global carbon cycle (Armstrong et al.. 2010: Riser and Johnson. 2008: Smith et al., 2009). An estimated 50 per cent of the carbon in the atmosphere that becomes bound or “sequestered” in natural systems is cycled into the seas and oceans. Not only do oceans represent the largest long-term sink for carbon but they also store and redistribute carbon dioxide (CO2). Same 93 per cent of the Earth’s CO2 is stored and cycled through the oceans (Armstrong et aL 2010). The value of fisheries to humankind has been well documented. Ac cording to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, fish provides more than L5 billion people globally with almost 20 per cent of their average per capita intake of animal protein. The number doubles to 3 billion for those whom fish provides 15 percent of their animal protein intake. In 2007. total animal protein from fish was l8.3 per cent in developing countries and 20.1 per cent in low-income food-deficit countries (FAO. 2010). Fishing fleets have shifted to fishing further off shore and in deeper waters to meet global demand since the 1960s (Co chonat et al.. 2007: Morato et aL. 2006). The deep sea is a source of several important and lucrative commercial species, which include the orange roughy. roundnosc grenadier. redfish. oreos and blue ling. as well as shellfish, such as crab and shrimp. A third of shark and ray species spend most of (heir life in the deep sea (Morato et aL. 2006). Important deep sea habitats. including cold water coral reefs and seamounts. are believed to be crucial in supporting fish populations (Armstrong et al., 2010). The value of the enormous biodiversity found in the deep seas is not yet well understood owing to our limited knowledge about the full range of species that inhabit this remote part of the planet and the functioning of ecosystems there. Current estimates of species diversity range from 500.000 to 10 million species (Census of Marine Life. 2010; Koslow. 2007). with new species being continuously discovered. This potential for discovery of new species. genes and adaptations is of great interest to bio technology. Many deep sea organisms have adapted to life under extreme conditions (so-called cxtrcmophilcs”), and thus have unusual molecular and metabolic adaptations. This is particularly true of bacteria found on and around hydrothermal vents, where toxic, high temperature conditions prevail, but also of bacteria found in the deep seabed, the water column and polar environments (TÙrLey. 2000). Not surprisingly, the deep seas are considered to represent the largest reservoir of genetic resources, including some of major interest for commercial and industrial applications. A recent study (Yooscph et al., 2007) reports the discovery of thousands of new genes and proteins in just a few litres of water, promising many potential new functions. Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> 2014 2014 -> For want of a nail 2014 -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 2014 -> Ihbb asian Championships 2014 middle school bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> Ihbb european Championships 2014 Bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> International History Bee and Bowl 2013-14 Asian Division Question Set Bowl Round Six 2014 -> United states patent and trademark office 2014 -> Coffs harbour eisteddfod vocal syllabus 2014 -> Listen News Programs Schedule pledge now 2014 -> Slow club announce third album complete surrender Download 0.57 Mb. Share with your friends:
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