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This concept is simple: if fisheries continue to overfish, consequently resulting in species or ecosystem collapse, the entire industry will flounder. According to the United States Department of Labor, as of 2004, there were approximately 38,000 people working as fishermen in the United States (US Labor, 2006). Greenland and Faeroe Island produce 85 kilograms of fish per capita per year - second only to the Maldives, where production tops out at 190 kilograms of fish and shellfish per capita per year, placing an extraordinary amount dependence on the productivity of our oceans (NMFS, 2006). With estimates placing the collapse of fisheries and all seafood species by the year 2050 (ScienCentral, 2006), the outlook is bleak for nations and individuals dependent on the oceans. For each fisherman out of work, there is a family with an unemployed provider, an out-of-work factory employee, a bankrupted boat company, a boarded up restaurant, and several other affected industries. Though our plan will necessarily call for an overall decrease in fishermen and new job training, we hope to relocate the fishermen to new occupations, thereby avoiding greater unemployment while still retaining a fishing industry.
Cultural Impact
Nutrition Considerations
"Fish account for approximately 20% of all animal protein in the human diet, with almost 1 billion people relying solely on fish as their primary source of protein. Furthermore, seventy-five percent of fish eaten by humans are marine-caught, as opposed to their freshwater and farm-raised counterparts. Given these conditions, and declining stocks of marine fish, one study suggests that the projected decrease in fish supply over the next two decades will not meet the demands of a growing global population" (Duke). Greenland and Faeroe Island consume 85 kilograms of fish per capita per year--second only to the Maldives, where each person consumes 190 kilograms of fish and shellfish per year, placing an extraordinary amount of faith in and responsibility on our oceans (NMFS, 2006).
Global Climate Change
Regardless of cause, the global climate is getting warmer, and will continue to do so in the future. Projections vary wildly between sources, as demonstrated in the below illustration compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Various temperature predictions ("Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis," 2001)
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Ahmed, M., Delgado, C.L., Meijer, S., Rosegrant, M.W., Wada, N. (2003). The Future of Fish: Issues and Trends to 2020. International Food Policy Research Insitute and WorldFish Center. Retrieved 18 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ifpri.org
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Antarctica does Acid - global warming, ocean acidification, and the Southern Ocean. (2006). Tasmedia.org. Retrieved November 19, 2007, from http://www.tasmedia.org/node/1214 Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. (2001). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved November 19, 2007, from http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/348.htm
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U.S. Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics. (20044 August 2006). Fishers and Fishing Vessel Operators. Retrieved 16 Novemeber November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos177.htm.
ScienCentral News. (11 November 2006). No Fish by 2050. Retrieved 21 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?type=article&article_id=218392867.
Worm, B., Barbier, E.B., Beaumont, N., Duffy, J.E., Folke, C., Halpern, B.S., Jackson, J.B.C., Lotze, H.K., Micheli, F., Palumbi, S.R., Sala, E., Selkoe, K.A., Stachowicz, J.J., Watson, R. (3 November 2006). Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services. Science Magazine, 314, 787-790. Retrieved 19 October 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/314/5800/787?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=impacts+of+biodiversity+loss&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.