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How Overfishing Affects the Price of Seafood

How Overfishing Affects the Price of Seafood

Written by Leisure Pro Staff
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Published on February 15, 2015

To the uninitiated, overfishing sounds like a boon to the consumer. After a bumper year for agricultural crops, consumers benefit by paying less in the grocery checkout lane. That’s way it’s easy to assume that large annual seafood catches drive down prices. However, the exact opposite eventually occurs. The short-term reduction in seafood prices that occurs when fish are over-harvested eventually leads to smaller fish populations and higher market prices.

The definition of overfishing is simple: Members of a fish species are removed from their habitat at rates higher than they can replenish themselves. The first recorded instance of unsustainable fishing practices in the oceans occurred in the 19th century. The need for whale oil for lamps in the 1800 spurred whale hunters to harvest far too many whales. By the end of that century, the whale population was decimated and has never really recovered.

Unsustainable fish harvest accelerated in the 20th century. Seen as a source of cheap and healthy protein, the oceans were literally mined for fish as nations all over the world increased their investments in fishing vessels and commercial processing enterprises. Driven by profit and seas teeming with life, the industry soon depleted the fish populations near the shores and moved on to the deep ocean in search of prey. The subsequent loss of the largest fish disrupted the ocean’s ecosystem and fish populations all around the globe soon began to plummet.

Overfishing depletes available seafood stock by altering the composition of the fish population. When large fish are removed, rates of reproduction decrease. The intricately intertwined ecosystem of the ocean reacted in an alarming cascade. Depletion of several fish species resulted in cataclysmic changes in many other types of oceanic life. In economic terms, fewer fish means that the price of seafood rises.

The tourist industry feels the impact of overfishing as well. A depleted fish population impacts the range and diversity of other aquatic species, as well. Scuba divers and snorkelers find that their underwater treks provide interactions with fewer species than they did in the past. In addition, they are more likely to encounter sharks and jellyfish as they swim.

The oceans contain more than half of all species on Earth. When entire ecosystems are undermined by overfishing, the negative impact is global. Nations are working together to restore the health of the oceans for future generations.

Leisure Pro Staff

Leisure Pro Staff

Marketing Director for LeisurePro