Glossary
Biodiversity Loss
A reduction in the variety of life forms within an ecosystem or on Earth, often leading to less stable and resilient natural systems.
Example:
When overfishing targets specific species, it can lead to a cascade effect, contributing to overall biodiversity loss in the marine environment.
Bottom Trawling
A fishing method that involves dragging a large, weighted net along the seafloor to catch fish and shellfish.
Example:
Bottom trawling can severely damage benthic habitats, scraping away corals, sponges, and other organisms that live on the ocean floor.
Bycatch
Non-target fish or marine animals that are caught unintentionally during fishing operations and are often discarded, usually dead or dying.
Example:
Dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks are frequently caught as bycatch in large tuna nets, despite not being the intended target species.
Catch Limits
Regulations that set a maximum allowable quantity of fish that can be harvested from a particular stock over a specific period.
Example:
Governments implement catch limits for salmon to ensure enough fish return to spawn, maintaining healthy future populations.
Depleted Populations
A state where the number of individuals in a species has significantly decreased, often to a level where their ability to recover naturally is compromised.
Example:
Years of intense fishing for cod in the North Atlantic led to depleted populations, making it difficult for the species to rebound.
Ecosystem Damage
Harm caused to the natural balance and structure of an ecosystem, often resulting in reduced biodiversity or altered food webs.
Example:
Bottom trawling can cause extensive ecosystem damage by destroying delicate coral reefs and seafloor habitats.
Human Impact (of overfishing)
The negative effects of overfishing on human societies, including economic hardship for fishing communities and reduced food security.
Example:
Coastal villages that rely heavily on fishing for their livelihood often face severe human impact when local fish stocks collapse.
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
Designated ocean areas where human activities, especially fishing, are restricted or prohibited to protect marine life and habitats.
Example:
Establishing a Marine Protected Area around a coral reef allows fish populations to recover and spill over into adjacent fishing grounds.
Overfishing
The practice of catching fish faster than they can reproduce, leading to a decline in fish populations and disruption of marine ecosystems.
Example:
When a specific species like bluefin tuna is harvested at rates exceeding its natural replenishment, it exemplifies overfishing.
Selective Gear
Fishing equipment designed to minimize the capture of non-target species (bycatch) and reduce habitat damage.
Example:
Using a TED (Turtle Excluder Device) in shrimp trawls is an example of selective gear that allows sea turtles to escape the net.
Size Limits
Regulations that specify the minimum or maximum size of fish that can be legally caught, often to protect juvenile or breeding fish.
Example:
Imposing size limits on lobster fishing ensures that only mature lobsters, which have had a chance to reproduce, are harvested.
Tragedy of the Commons
An economic theory where individuals, acting independently and rationally according to their own self-interest, deplete a shared limited resource, even when it is not in anyone's long-term interest.
Example:
The open ocean, being a shared resource, is susceptible to the Tragedy of the Commons as individual fishing vessels may maximize their catch without considering the overall health of the fish stock.
Unsustainable Practices
Methods or activities that cannot be maintained in the long term without causing significant environmental degradation or resource depletion.
Example:
Using dynamite fishing, which destroys entire coral reefs, is an unsustainable practice that devastates marine habitats.