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Lobsters are raised in tanks and released into the wild, boosting the population numbers.

Overfishing

Overfishing happens when people catch fish faster than they can breed. Explore how modern fishing methods affect marine ecosystems and what can be done to protect fish stocks.

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Fascinating Fact:

Modern fishing technology, such as large trawlers, sonar, and huge nets, allows boats to catch far more fish than traditional methods.

In GCSE Geography, overfishing is studied as a serious pressure on marine ecosystems and coastal communities. Pupils explore its causes, global impacts, and management strategies such as quotas and marine protected areas.

Key Terms

Overfishing: Catching fish faster than they can reproduce, leading to falling fish stocks.
Sustainable fishing: Fishing in a way that allows fish populations and ecosystems to stay healthy over time.
Quota: A set limit on how much of a particular fish species can be caught in a given time period.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is overfishing in GCSE Geography?

In GCSE Geography, overfishing means taking too many fish from the sea so that stocks fall and cannot replace themselves naturally, threatening ecosystems and human livelihoods.

What are the main causes of overfishing?

The main causes include powerful modern fishing fleets, weak or poorly enforced laws, high global demand for seafood, and illegal fishing that ignores agreed limits.

How can overfishing be reduced?

Overfishing can be reduced by enforcing catch quotas, protecting nursery areas, reducing by-catch, using more selective gear, and encouraging consumers to choose sustainably sourced fish.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

How do fishing quotas increase the sustainability of the fishing and decrease the risk of overfishing?

By limiting numbers, size and sex of particular species that can be caught

By stopping the catching of rare species

By limiting the numbers, size and sex of particular species that can be kept

By putting time limits on the catching of particular species

Quotas are given out on a national level, with the exact methods of dealing with that quota being handled by the local fisheries. In the UK the fisheries' patrol vessels operate within the structure of the Royal Navy, allowing a larger response to foreign vessels if required

2 .

What are marine protected areas (MPAs)?

Areas where destructive fishing practises are banned, including no take zones

Areas were no ships are allowed to enter

Lakes and inland waterways that can be more closely controlled

Areas where intensive fishing is permitted to discourage fleets from using other areas

1.6% of the world's oceans are MPAs, and 90% of those are open to some forms of fishing. The UN has called for an extension to these protected areas and countries like the UK are responding by defining these areas

3 .

What does the term 'bycatch' refer to?

The catch that is kept and sold. This is the species that is listed in the quotas

The species that the nets and other technology are attempting not to catch

The incidental capture of non-target species such as dolphins, marine turtles and seabirds

Extra species that are caught and can provide a valid income for fishermen

Technologies designed for nets and lines can massively reduce the problem of bycatch, but many commercial fisheries refuse to implement these tools and methods

4 .

The Global Ghost Gear Initiative seeks to remove what type of litter from the ocean?

Plastic bags

Ships and other vessels that have sunk

Oil and oil products that have leaked from ships

Discarded and lost fishing gear

Long drift nets, purse seine nets, long lines and other types of fishing gear will often drift if abandoned - and continue to catch animals as it goes. Since the 1950s there has been a move towards non-biodegradable fishing gear, meaning it will be centuries before it stops catching sea creatures

5 .

What has caused the growth in demand for fish?

A reduction in the amount of cattle for beef production globally, due to its effect on deforestation

A switch towards healthier eating in Europe and fish being one of the only sources of protein for some LEDCs

Fish is a cheaper source of protein than any other, including vegetarian proteins

Population growth in nations like China and Japan whose uncontrolled fishing methods are removing too many fish

Since governments have been recommending fish as a regular part of European diets, there has been an increase in fish consumption

6 .

Which of the following is a reason against the use of fish farming to replace fishing?

Fish farming reduces pressure on wild stocks

Fish farming provides jobs and industry worldwide

Fish excrement is released in large amounts into the local area

There is no bycatch from fish farming

Food colouring is added to the fish food to make the meat a more appealing colour. This is in part excreted and pollutes other organisms, including those in mussel farms in some parts of Scotland

7 .

Lundy, in Devon, is a no take zone. Why does this sustainable management technique have the support of local fishermen?

Within the no take zone many commercial species are now breeding and the species as a whole is coming back

It limits the areas they all can fish, reducing the competition from other fishermen

They feel that it's only a token gesture, but this token gesture will stop the government taking more action to limit their industry

They are illegally fishing in the area anyway

Fishermen have seen their own profits fall as fish have become more difficult to catch. Many support sustainable management practices and often donate to projects that are supporting the recovery of various fish stocks

8 .

Two species of fish which are commonly sold in UK supermarkets are cod and pangasius, often labelled as basa. Basa is a fresh water farmed fish, whilst cod is caught in the wild in the North Atlantic. Why is basa a more sustainable alternative to cod?

Basa is far more healthy, being a freshwater fish

Cod is a critically endangered species, whilst basa is a common species in the wild and is farmed for human consumption

The use of farmed fish leads to a greater number of jobs, with these jobs being in areas of economic depression

Cod takes a lot more energy, in the form of diesel, to catch than basa does

If cod is not rested from being fished it could still be wiped out, even though cod populations are starting to recover after management technques were put in a number of years ago

9 .

Long drift nets hang vertically in the water column and entangle anything that comes into contact with them. The UN has banned nets longer than 2.5 km. Which of the following is not a reason for banning long drift nets?

They can be used by smaller vessels without the need for advanced technology

They are often lost or discarded and become ghost nets

They have a large bycatch as they entangle everything

The mesh size is small, meaning all sizes of fish are caught and have died by the time the net is recovered

Long drift nets continue to be used illegally around the world. Often they are set and left for days. Before the UN regulations were brought in, commercial drift nets were up to 50 km long!

10 .

Why are some species being raised in hatcheries and released into the wild when they are one or two years old?

It's cheaper to raise them artificially than allow them to grow up in the wild

The first few months or years of life are when many species are most vulnerable to predation

The fish are tagged and can be tracked and caught when large enough

By raising and releasing the fish, it allows a country to establish ownership on them for later catching

Animals such as turtles, lobsters and some fish are raised in tanks and released. This allows them to escape predators that may attack them whilst they are younger and will boost the wild population numbers

Author: Ruth M