What are the Consequences of Destructive Fishing?

Fishing that is not adopting green fishing or sustainable fishing has been identified as the most widespread of all local threats to coral reefs. More than 55% of the world’s reefs are threatened as the consequence of destructive fishing and/or overfishing. Many of the world’s most remote coral reefs are heavily fished. In fact, reef fisheries are an important resource for many coastal communities around the world.  These fisheries are well managed and can be a sustainable resource in some cases. However, fish stocks are increasingly threatened due to various factors, such as the consequences of destructive fishing. What if we continue to heavily catch fish in a way that does not adopt sustainable fishing practices? Let’s discuss this further!

Unimplemented Sustainable Fisheries: The Consequences of Destructive Fishing

If we continue to fish in a way that does not adopt green fishing, the consequences of destructive fishing will lead to a decline in fish populations and wider ecosystem impacts. These unsustainable fisheries typically employ destructive fishing methods, including the use of explosives to kill or stun fish, which destroys coral reefs. This method, called blasting or dynamite capture, destroys coral colonies and kills coral tissue in adjacent colonies. Because blast fishing is limited to shallow sections of the reef, this vulnerable zone can be reduced to rubble by repeated blasts, making recovery difficult or impossible and destroying large portions of coral as the consequences of destructive fishing. 

Certain types of fishing gear, including gill nets and beach trawls, can also damage reef ecosystems and do not reflect sustainable fishing. This type of gear drags along the seabed and catches or flattens untargeted coral and species in its path. Abandoned fishing gear, such as lost traps or nets, can continue “ghost capture,” i.e., trapping prey and smothering corals for months or years after dispersal. Abandoned nets can also ensnare and repel corals due to wave action. In addition, scuba and hookah diving have opened deeper areas to fishermen for sea cucumbers, pearl oysters, lobsters, octopuses, fish, shellfish, and coral. Destructive fishing methods such as dynamite, gill nets, and beach trawls are highly unsustainable and do not practice green fishing because they usually do not target specific fish species and often result in marine species being killed in the process. Damage to the structure of the coral reef further reduces the productivity of the area, thus adversely affecting the fish populations that depend on the reef. It is time for fishing gear that is not environmentally friendly and does not apply to  green fishing to be stopped because it can damage the marine ecosystem that we have to protect at all costs to maintain the fish stock.

C-Fishery, which is not only reliable in supplying fish stocks but also pays attention to the consequences of destructive fishing so that we massively promote and protect sustainable fishing, which is where our products come from. Contact our team if you have several things to discussed! (Hanapus)