Name: Olivia Damois

IB ESS, Ms. Paciorek

Sustainable Fishing

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Part 1: Answer the questions below as we watch the video together. Link to video

1.​ What is a fishery?

a.​ It is an area where fish are caught for commercial purposes. It can be a defined
area of the sea or a collection of fishing boats that has been agreed upon by
countries and fishers. There are often different fisheries for different fish.
2.​ What is bycatch? Give some examples.
a.​ It is when fishing boats accidentally catch fish or animals that they don;t want or
shouldn’t take. It can also include young or undersized fish that are not big
enough to eat and so they should be put back in the sea to grow. Some
examples are sea birds, sharks, and turtles.
3.​ What does it mean to fish sustainably?
a.​ It means fishing in a responsible way, making sure that fish populations don't
drop below levels where they can’t reproduce and grow faster than they are
caught. It is also important to make sure that fishing doesn’t damage marine life
and their ecosystem.
4.​ What is the maximum sustainable yield?
a.​ When fisheries work with scientists to understand how the fish and shellfish
population grows and shrinks over time. This is controlled by birth, migration in
and out of the fisheries, and death. It can show how much fish they can catch
without overfishing
5.​ What are some steps a fisher can take to fish sustainably?

a.​ Fisheries working together to safeguard life in the ocean

b.​ Fisheries catching fish at a healthy level

​
Part 2: Visit the following link to learn more about various fishing methods to determine which
ones are the most sustainable.

Fishing Method Brief description Target species Sustainable or Not?

Explain your
answer.

Bottom trawls NO : The variety and

Bottom trawls are Catch cod, halibut, amount of bycatch in
cone-shaped nets that lobster, rockfish, shrimp many bottom trawl
 are pulled along the and other fisheries is a pervasive
seafloor to catch cod, bottom-dwellers. problem, and the heavy
gear can damage
halibut, lobster,
sensitive habitats.
rockfish, shrimp and Reducing these harmful
other bottom-dwellers. effects requires limiting
These fishing gears are when and where
configured to stay open trawling can occur and
gear modifications that
in different ways. Often
allow unwanted marine
floating head ropes and life to escape and
weighted foot ropes lessen impacts on the
hold the nets open seafloor.
vertically, and beams,
otter boards, or two
boats keep them open
horizontally.

Dredges Dredges are metal, Dig out clams, NO but could be :

cage-like gears that oysters, scallops, and Dredges can have
are dragged over the other species. significant impacts on
seafloor. These sensitive seafloor
fishing gears may or habitats and
may not have bottom-dwelling
components – such species. One way to
as rakes, teeth, or reduce these harmful
hydraulic jets – which effects is to limit the
dislodge and flush areas where dredging
out animals. Types can occur.
include hand
dredges, towed
dredges, and
mechanized dredges.

Gillnets Gillnets are walls of Gillnets are used to NO but could be : In

stationary or drifting catch cod, perch, some gillnet fisheries,
netting. When fish salmon, sardines, vulnerable ocean
swim into the netting, trout, and many other animals like sea
they become species. turtles, marine
entangled or mammals, and
entrapped. These sharks can be
fishing gears are caught. These
used on or near the impacts can be
seafloor, in midwater, reduced by setting
or near the surface. the netting deeper in
In some gillnet the water column to
fisheries, vulnerable allow animals to swim
ocean animals like over and adding
sea turtles, marine pingers to warn
 mammals, and passing marine
sharks can be mammals.
caught. These
impacts can be
reduced by setting
the netting deeper in
the water column to
allow animals to swim
over and adding
pingers to warn
passing marine
mammals.

Longlines NO but could be :

Longlines have a Longlines are used to Bycatch of at-risk or
mainline and evenly catch cod, halibut, overexploited species
spaced branch lines tuna, swordfish, and can be a significant
conservation concern
with baited hooks. many other species. in longline fisheries,
They can be many but gear
miles long and have modifications can
hundreds or reduce impacts on
other marine life.
thousands of hooks.
Set longlines are
placed on or near the
bottom. Drifting
longlines are set near
the surface and at
different depths in the
water column.
Bycatch of at-risk or
overexploited species
can be a significant
conservation concern
in longline fisheries,
but gear
modifications can
reduce impacts on
other marine life. For
example, sinking
drifting longlines
deeper allows many
animals to swim over
them, and adding
 streamers above the
water scares away
seabirds. Also, a
specially designed
fishing hook called a
circle hook can make
it easier to release
turtles and other
animals that have
been accidentally
caught.

Poll-and-lines Pole-and-line gears They’re used to catch YES : Harmful

catch fish with one or a variety of fish impacts on other
more fishing lines ranging from species tend to be
with baited hooks. open-ocean minimal because
The lines may or may swimmers like tuna to fishermen can
not be attached to bottom-dwellers like release unwanted
poles, and reels are cod. marine life.
often used to operate
and retrieve the
catch. Depending on
the type and where
fishing occurs, the
gears are
mechanically- or
hand-operated.

Pots NO : While unwanted

Pots are cage-like Many species are species can be
gears with one or more caught with pots, such released alive and
openings that animals as cod, crab, lobster, habitat impacts tend to
be minimal, the
can easily enter but are octopus, and shrimp. entanglement of whales
hard to exit. Pots are and other species is a
set with and without serious conservation
bait, and they may have concern in some pot
fisheries. Also, ghost
an opening that allows
fishing occurs when lost
undersized or or abandoned pots
non-targeted marine life continue to capture fish.
to escape easily. Pots
are usually placed on
the bottom, but some
are designed to be in
midwater.
Part 3: Continue scrolling down to view the “farming methods.” Over 50% of the world’s
seafood is now produced through aquaculture (seafood farming). Read about the various
methods and watch the videos, then complete the table below.

Farming Method Brief description Species commonly Sustainable or Not?

raised this way Explain your
answer.

Off bottom culture Types include bag Off-bottom culture YES : as it has
culture where involves growing minimal
shellfish are grown in shellfish such as environmental
mesh bags on stands clams, mussels and impacts, avoids
in the intertidal zone. oysters in ways disturbing the ocean
Raft culture entails where they don’t floor, and allows for
growing shellfish on touch the ocean floor. efficient shellfish
old shells that have farming with reduced
been punctured, risk of habitat
strung together and degradation.
attached to raft-like
structures. Longline
culture involves
growing shellfish on
ropes or inside
containers that are
suspended from
anchored or buoyed
ropes. Seaweed is
also farmed using
off-bottom culture.
Overall, off-bottom
culture methods have
relatively few
environmental
impacts.

Pens Pens are structures Net pens can be in NO : they can lead to
that hold farmed fish marine waters to farm water pollution,
in open water as they species such as disease transmission,
grow. They’re made salmon and trout or and escape of farmed
with wooden, mesh freshwater to farm fish, impacting wild
or net screens, which species such as populations and
allow water to flow tilapia and trout. ecosystems.
freely through them.
Types include pens,
which are fixed to the
bottom in shallow
 waters. Net pens are
enclosed on the
bottom and sides.
Submersible net pens
are fully enclosed
and submerged,
usually in offshore
marine waters.

Ponds NO : they can lead to

Ponds enclose fish Shrimp, catfish and environmental
and crustaceans in a tilapia are commonly damage, such as
relatively shallow and raised in ponds. mangrove destruction
and water pollution,
usually small body of unless managed with
freshwater or closed systems and
saltwater. They vary proper treatment.
considerably from
simple, low-tech
extensive ponds to
sophisticated
hyper-intensive
ponds where farmers
have significant
control over the
rearing process and
pond conditions and
production per
hectare is very high.

Historically, ponds
were built along the
coast and contributed
to the destruction of
mangrove forests. If
water is discharged
without treatment or
screening, it can
impact the
surrounding
environment or allow
farm-raised species
to escape. Closed
systems, where water
 is treated and used
for multiple
production cycles,
reduce the risk of
escapes and
pollution.

Raceways YES : if wastewater is

Raceways are long, Species such as treated and
linear containment tilapia and rainbow recirculated,
structures used for trout are farmed in minimizing
environmental
farming fish. They’re raceways. impacts like
often in a terraced contamination and
configuration and disease spread.
usually above
ground. These
systems can be
indoors or outdoors.
Types include
flowthrough where
the wastewater
leaves the facility and
recirculating where
the water is treated
and re-used. Treating
wastewater can
greatly minimize
environmental
impacts, which can
include contamination
of waterways and
spreading disease to
wild fish.

Recirculating tanks YES : they minimize

Recirculating tanks Many finfish species environmental
have continuous such as Arctic char, impacts, avoid habitat
water flow, and the striped bass and disruption, prevent
fish escapes, and
 wastewater is treated sturgeon can be reduce disease and
and re-used. These raised in land-based, pollution risks.
systems can be recirculating tanks.
indoor or outdoor,
and they’re usually
above ground. This
farming method
addresses many of
the environmental
concerns associated
with aquaculture. The
farms can be built in
a variety of locations
to avoid sensitive
habitats. They can
also minimize or
avoid the discharge
of pollutants beyond
the farms. The
potential for disease
and parasite transfer
to the natural
environment is low,
and escapes of
farmed fish can be
prevented.

Evaluate: What are the environmental benefits of aquaculture, as compared to traditional

fishing?

Aquaculture certainly has many important benefits to humans that have nothing at all to
do with the environment. From a food security point of view, roughly 33% of all world
wild-caught fisheries are overfished and 60% are fully exploited. Aquaculture is thus a
necessary means of production to obtain more seafood and help us feed more people.
With over 800 million individuals everywhere in the world under food insecurity, we
could say that despite overfishing, we still do not have enough fish and need to seek
ways of producing more. Aquaculture also offers jobs and economic benefits along
coastlines where wild fishing is no longer viable because of legislation or the fact that it
is less productive. For instance, many fisheries in the Outer Banks have been
compelled to reduce operations or shut down as a result of strict regulations, which has
hurt local communities.

From an ecological perspective, aquaculture also has advantages over traditional

commercial fishing. It causes less harm to marine ecosystems, mainly because it takes
place within a controlled environment. Problems like bycatch of non-target species and
destruction of marine habitats are nearly eliminated. Moreover, aquaculture reduces
some of the pressure on wild marine stocks, e.g., white abalone and Olympia oysters in
California, which are no longer as heavily overfished. This helps to conserve
biodiversity, and marine animals can even thrive in aquafarms.
Source:
https://blogs.nicholas.duke.edu/env212/is-aquaculture-really-more-sustainable-than-fishi
ng/#:~:text=Bycatch%20of%20non%2Dtargeted%20species,and%20Olympia%20oyster
s%20in%20California