Because one of
Nash’s main points in the Island
Civilization reading was to conserve and protect wildlife and wildlands, I
decided to focus on conservation of natural fisheries. The ecosystems of the
ocean have been not only overfished, but also polluted for many years. While this
causes the amount of fish in the fisheries to decline, it also increases jobs
for those that rely on fishing for his or her livelihood. According to my
source, over half of worldwide fish populations are completely exploited, and
close to one third are overly-exploited or collapsed.
With that being said, I would say
that the fact that we, as human beings, are not carefully conserving our
natural fisheries could be a reason for an island civilization to be
constructed. If all humans have their own designated areas, we will have much
less of an impact on nature and wild areas of the environment. Therefore,
fisheries, such as oceans and ponds, would not be able to be overfished. There would
no longer be a shortage of popular fish, such as flounder, cod, or tuna. Also,
if we are not able to access them, there will be much less pollution in the
fisheries, as well. The fish would be
able to thrive in a cleaner, healthier environment. Here, they could also
reproduce in order to become more plentiful.
Obviously, I feel like this issue
affects most water sources across the world. However, the first place that came
to mind when I researched this subject was the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
People are constantly coming to the North Carolina beaches to fish, whether it
is for recreational purposes or more monetary purposes. Therefore, I feel that
the coast of North Carolina is probably overfished. I also think that it must
be polluted, especially during the summer months with the abundance of traffic
and population. I hope that we continue to take the steps forward to better
conserve our wild fisheries so that it is no longer an issue that could
contribute to the need for an island civilization.
This summer I actually had the chance to visit a fish hatchery in Alaska. It was so cool to see how they bread fish and get them to come back so that they can further harvest their eggs. While I was there I learned that Fish hatcheries have been very effective in increasing the fish population. The fish population may be decreasing, but I don’t know how I feel about having fish hatcheries, I feel as though nature can take care of itself. This being said, there should definitely be a limit on how many fish fisherman can fish and this number may need to be looked at. Without fisherman there would be an overabundance of fish which would also not be good for the eco-system.
ReplyDeleteHey, your article caught my eye because I too consider over-fishing to be a huge environmental issue. The oceans actually supply the majority of the global human population with food and if we don't manage them sustainably, it could only spell disaster. I feel the whole predicament is an example of "tragedy of the commons," where people exploit something that everyone has access to in order to gain as much as possible. As for your suggestion of using hatcheries to bolster fish populations, this is definitely effective for food fish, but what of the millions of other species in the oceans? Here's an example of what I mean: whales are endangered, but chickens will never be. As long as there is an economic incentive behind something's survival, we will keep it around. While wild-caught tuna may be dying out, its domestically-raised counterpart is thriving. Now you did mention the benefits of the "island civilization" and that would be a great solution. If we keep our filthy hands out of the oceans, the fish populations that we don't even fish for consumption will be safe, while we sustain food-stocks through hatcheries. Again, you made several interesting points and the comment about the Outer Banks especially connected with me because I have a house out there and I rarely see anyone catching fish from the pier anymore.
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