Even though fish are a renewable resource, they are being rapidly overfished in many parts of the world. Overfishing occurs when fish are taken from the sea faster than they can reproduce. When this happens, fish stocks decrease quickly and become depleted (used up).
Why is Overfishing Happening? There are a number of reasons why overfishing is happening:
z„ Overfishing
Super-trawlers Fishing quotas Aquaculture Fish farming
Improved ships: Super-trawlers have increased the amount of fish caught each year. These ships can catch fish and then store their catch in huge refrigerators to preserve them. Smaller ships take the catch back to land, while trawlers remain at sea. The super-trawler in the image below is called the Margiris. It is 142 metres in length. In 2015, it was investigated for illegal fishing in Irish waters.
With the person sitting next to you, compare the size of the Margiris super-
Communicating: Airbus A380: 72.75 m
trawler (142 m) with some of Ireland’s landmarks, e.g. the length of Croke Park (145 m) or the height of the Spire (120 m) in Dublin.
Sydney Opera House: 185 m Queen Mary II: 311 m Titanic: 269 m Margiris: 142 m
Super-trawler Margiris's net is 600 m long and can open to 200 m wide.This is large enough to hold thirteen jumbo jets.
