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You Can Help Stop Overfishing
By therevolutionmovie.com
2013
Fishing is a practice dating back 40,000 years. Today, fisheries — places where fish are grown,
caught, and processed to be sold for food, directly or indirectly — employ over 500 million
people throughout the world. However, some fishing practices are bad for our oceans and our
world. In this informational text, the problems with overfishing and some possible solutions are
explained. As you read, make note of the details that support the changes that can be made in
the fishing industry.
[1] The world’s oceans are so big we thought for
a long time that there was nothing humans
could do to hurt them. Now we’re facing an
imminent1 and global collapse2 of our
fisheries, projected3 to happen as early as
2048, thanks to overfishing, wasteful fishing
practices and massive overconsumption. But,
there are a few key tried-and-tested solutions
to overfishing that have been successfully
implemented around the world. The trick is to
scale these solutions up to a global scale,
encouraging countries that have originally
been resistant to helping and get them "Untitled" by Krzysztof Kowalik is licensed
onboard, and supporting countries that don’t under CC0.
have the means to update their fishing
policies themselves.
Here is what needs to happen…
1. Imminent (adjective) about to happen
2. a sudden, large decline
3. Project (verb) estimated based on current data and information
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CREATE MORE MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
Currently, less than two percent of the world’s oceans are protected in marine parks; and less
than one percent of the oceans are protected from any kind of fishing. More no-catch zones
must be established to allow fish populations and their ecosystems5 to recover and replenish6
themselves to ensure fishing for future generations.
The Marine Conservation Institute wants to increase that number tenfold,7 and have ten
percent of our oceans become Marine Protected Areas by 2020. We would like to see 20
percent of the ocean protected to ensure increased healthy fish stocks in the future.
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STOP TRAWLING
[5] Trawling drags huge nets through the ocean that scoop up every animal and the ecosystem in
its pathway, resulting in massive wasteful bycatch – dead fish are returned to the sea because
they weren’t the target fish. We don’t have that kind of sea life to waste. Though there are many
programs that focus on decreasing bycatch, and worldwide there are small regions where
bottom trawling is banned or limited, these measures aren’t enough. Trawling needs to be
banned outright.
Facing depleted9 fish stocks with an imminent and complete collapse, the Chinese government
imposed a trawling ban in Hong Kong’s waters that took effect in December 2012. They did this
by buying fishing vessels fitted for trawling, and supporting deckhands10 who’d be affected by
the reduced amount of fish caught. Bans like this in the waters of Alaska, Chile and elsewhere
are being fought for by environmental organizations. They need our help!
WORLDWIDE CATCH SHARES
Catch shares is a system of fishing management that is proven to allow fish stocks to replenish,
4. A marine protected area is a section of the ocean where a government has placed
limits on human activity.
5. a community of living organisms, their nonliving environment, and how they affect each
other
6. Replenish (verb) to replace or refill
7. ten times the amount
8. to fish with a large wide-mouthed net which is dragged by a boat along the bottom or
in the midwater of the sea or a lake
9. Depleted (adjective) decreased or lesser
10. a member of a ship’s crew
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while saving the livelihoods of fishing communities by preventing a sudden collapse. A total
allowable catch is established, using scientific data about the health of fish stocks and the
environment in a certain area, and catch shares are licensed out to each fishing business telling
them exactly how much of each seafood species they’re allowed to catch.
Using catch shares makes seafood more valuable, meaning a higher, more predictable profit for
fishermen, while protecting the environment. As opposed to limiting the time of a fishing
season—driving fishermen on a mad dash to make their living in a short time and use trawling
or other unsustainable fishing methods to do it—catch shares foster11 communication and
stewardship.12
A study of American and British Columbian catch shares systems found that over a decade, the
total allowable catch increased 19 percent, bycatch decreased by 66 percent, and fishermen
made 68 percent more money while having one-third fewer accidents on the job. And 100
percent of fishing businesses complied, rarely going over their limit. It’s a proven system that
needs to be implemented worldwide, and strengthened where it does exist, like the Common
Fisheries Program in Europe or on the Pacific Coast of the US and Canada.
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MAKE SMART CONSUMER CHOICES
[10] We can make smarter food choices, like only eating sustainable14 seafood. We can check out
the seafood guides and find out what seafood is good for you and the planet, and what isn’t.
We can avoid big fish, which have been overfished for years, like marlin, tuna and shark and eat
small fish instead – 90% of the big fish are gone, they’re important for the ecosystems, and
they’re also very often full of toxic contaminants like lead. We can choose to buy local. Seafood
caught in local North American waters are generally subject to more scrutiny15 and better
regulation than in other parts of the world, plus there is less energy used to store and transport
the food. This is especially true for shrimp.
We can go wild, not farmed. Fish farmed in big nets in the ocean pour tons of waste onto the
seafood floor, spread disease to wild stocks, and create conflict with local seals, whales, and
sharks that are killed when they try to break the nets to eat the fish. It is also an incredibly
inefficient way to make food – requiring 6 pounds of wild caught animals to create 1 pound of
salmon. This is the biggest problem with eating any kind of Atlantic salmon, which is always
11. Foster (verb) to encourage or support the development of
12. taking care of something shared like land
13. someone who buys goods
14. Food is sustainable if it is healthy and meets current food needs while maintaining healthy
ecosystems that can also provide food for the future with minimal negative impact to the
environment.
15. Scrutiny (noun) inspection
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farmed in open systems. We can ask at restaurants if the fish is sustainable, and what seafood
they have on their menu that is sustainable. If they have none, we can always choose another
option. Just asking them will make them look into sustainable seafood. Our desire creates the
economy.16
"You can help stop overfishing" from Revolution by Rob Stewart. Used with permission. Rob Stewart,
www.revolutionmovie.com
Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
16. the way in which goods and services are made, sold, and used
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Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete
sentences.
1. What is the central idea of the text?
A. Many countries have already made changes that could positively impact
the fishing industry.
B. Sea life is being affected by fishing and strict government bans on fishing
is the only step that can save it.
C. Bad fishing practices will destroy the fishing industry unless we take steps
around the world to tackle the problem.
D. The fish industry has made lots of changes to their fishing practices but
there is little we can do now to improve seal life.
2. Which statement describes the relationship between catch shares and the fishing
businesses?
A. Fishing businesses support catch shares because they lead to more catch
and more money.
B. Fishing businesses do not support catch shares because the regulations
are not carried out fairly.
C. Fishing businesses do not support catch shares because it is hard to
communicate with everyone involved.
D. Fishing businesses support catch shares because they want to decrease
the negative effects of their business.
3. What does the word "scale" mean as it is used in paragraph 1?
A. remove
B. weigh
C. climb
D. size
4. What is the author's main purpose in the passage?
A. to question the fishing industry's sustainable practices
B. to criticize the fishing industry for its dangerous practices
C. to explain the negative consequences of current fishing practices and offer
solutions
D. to illustrate dangerous fishing practices and predict solutions that could
make a positive impact
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5. How does the author support their central idea? Use details from the text to support
your answer.
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Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be
prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.
1. In the text, the author explains several fishing practices that interfere with sea life.
Who's in control: man or nature? Do you think we have a responsibility to change
fishing practices or will nature find a way to correct the problems caused by them?
Explain.
2. In the text, the author explains that consumer choices can influence the availability
of sustainable food. What should the future look like? Do you think we have a
responsibility to make sustainable choices for the future? What other choices can
people make that could affect the future?
