Land & Water Use

Enhanced resilience of marine ecosystems

Changes in the structure and function of marine ecosystems

Marine ecosystems are not affected by overfishing

Increased fish population in marine ecosystems

Subsidizing commercial fishing fleets to increase economic efficiency and catch rates.

Imposing seasonal fishing limits without altering fishing methods or equipment used.

Implementation of exclusion devices and gear restrictions that allow non-target species escape.

Increasing quotas for primary target species without consideration for incidental captures.

Decreased demand for fish as a food source

Adequate fishing regulations

Inadequate fishing regulations or quota laws

Sustainable fishing practices

The brand of measurement instruments for water quality.

The color of the fishing gear used in the study.

Seasonal migration patterns of fish species.

The time of day when fish counts are conducted.

Overfishing larger individuals increases biodiversity by allowing more small species to thrive.

The removal of larger fish reduces interspecies competition, leading to ecosystem stability.

The population's genetic diversity may decrease, leading to smaller average sizes and lower resilience.

Targeting specific sizes prevents overpopulation and promotes sustainable fishing practices.

Marine protected areas establishment.

Enforcing catch limits and quotas for fisheries.

Sustainable aquaculture practices.

Unregulated fishing activities.

Greater plant diversity

Lower atmospheric CO2 levels

Increased water salinity

Depletion of fish stocks

Without predation control, prey migrations could alter significantly, potentially impacting other regions ecologically.

The prey population may initially surge due to relief from predation pressure.

Absent natural predators, the prey could become more susceptible to disease outbreaks due to overcrowding.

Reductions in predator numbers could lead to increased competition among surviving individuals of the prey population.

Enforcing stricter quotas on all fish species without differentiating between their roles in the ecosystem or economic importance.

Establishing marine reserves where fishing is prohibited, alongside job retraining programs for displaced fishers and support for alternative livelihoods.

Mandating the use of environmentally damaging gear that catches fewer organisms per trip to slow down the rate of fishing effort across ecosystems.

Introducing non-native predator species to balance trophic levels altered due to selective overharvesting of native predators.

Reduced biodiversity may affect ecosystem services essential for maintaining ocean currents.

Decreased fish stocks might reduce opposition to offshore energy installations.

It could increase fuel prices making marine renewables less competitive.

Overfishing can lead to an abundance of algae that facilitates biofuel production.