Identify and describe Why Fish Matter for Global Food Security, What is Fish Farming? and Advantages of Fish Farming in the context of sustainable fisheries.
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GCSE Biology Revision
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GCSE Biology revision
Sustainable fisheries
Food production (biology only)
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Explain the relationships between Why Fish Matter for Global Food Security, What is Fish Farming? and Advantages of Fish Farming and how they contribute to sustainable fisheries.
Apply and analyse knowledge of Why Fish Matter for Global Food Security, What is Fish Farming? and Advantages of Fish Farming to interpret unfamiliar information about sustainable fisheries.
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Why Fish Matter for Global Food Security
- Fish are a critically important source of protein for many people around the world, often more so than meat from livestock.
- As the global population grows, demand for seafood has increased, making sustainable management of fish stocks essential for future food security.
- Millions of people depend on the fishing industry for their livelihoods, meaning overfishing threatens not just ecosystems but also economies.
What is Fish Farming?
- Fish farming (aquaculture) involves raising fish in contained environments such as cages in lakes, oceans, or artificial tanks.
- Fish are kept in enclosures that protect them from predators and allow farmers to control their diet and environment.
- Restricted movement reduces energy loss, leading to rapid increases in biomass and faster growth rates.
Advantages of Fish Farming
- Fish farming can produce large quantities of fish quickly, helping to meet the growing global demand for protein.
- Some argue that fish farming helps protect wild fish stocks by reducing the pressure on natural populations, allowing them to recover.
Disadvantages of Fish Farming
- Antibiotics are used to prevent disease in farmed fish, which risks the development of antibiotic-resistant microbes that could affect natural populations.
- Fish living in close proximity can spread bacterial and fungal infections rapidly, leading to poor animal welfare.
- Large amounts of waste produced by farmed fish are released into surrounding water bodies, causing water pollution.
- Some fish food used in aquaculture is made from wild-caught fish, meaning fish farming can still contribute to the depletion of wild fish stocks.
The Rise of Industrial Ocean Fishing
- Advances in technology, including larger boats, enormous nets, and sonar, have dramatically increased the efficiency of catching fish from the ocean.
- Sonar allows fishing vessels to precisely locate shoals of fish, making it far easier to target and catch large numbers at once.
- Increased fishing efficiency, combined with rising population and demand, has led to certain species being fished to near extinction.
Environmental Impact of Overfishing
- Removing large numbers of fish disrupts food chains within ocean ecosystems, upsetting the balance of marine biodiversity.
- Bottom-trawling nets drag along the seabed, destroying the habitats and ecosystems found there.
- Discarded or broken nets (ghost nets) continue to trap and kill wildlife long after they are lost, further damaging marine ecosystems.
- Overfishing leads to a loss of biodiversity and degrades ocean ecosystems, reducing their ability to recover.
Fishing Quotas
- Fishing quotas limit the number and size of fish that boats are permitted to catch during a given period, helping to prevent overfishing.
- Fishing vessels can be fined or penalised if they exceed their quota, providing a legal incentive to fish sustainably.
Fishing Bans and Closed Seasons
- Fishing is banned in certain areas of the ocean during the breeding seasons of particular fish species, allowing populations to reproduce and recover.
- Restricting fishing at critical times and locations gives fish stocks the opportunity to increase and maintain healthy population levels.
Net Mesh Size and Selective Fishing
- Regulating the mesh size (the size of the holes) in fishing nets allows juvenile fish and smaller non-target species to escape, protecting young fish before they reach reproductive age.
- Line fishing is an alternative to net fishing that reduces bycatch (the accidental catching of non-target species such as dolphins).
- Dolphin-safe tuna fishing involves avoiding areas where dolphin populations are present, reducing harm to non-target marine mammals.
Why Sustainable Fisheries Are Essential
- Sustainable fisheries aim to maintain and increase fish stocks so that species do not become extinct and ecosystems remain balanced.
- International cooperation between nations is key to enforcing sustainable fishing practices across shared ocean waters.
- Maintaining healthy fish stocks is vital for feeding a growing global population and protecting the livelihoods of those who depend on the fishing industry.