TEChniques Long-lining is one of the most common fishing techniques. Ships unreel up to 75 miles of line full of hundreds of thousands of baited hook. Hooks are then dragged behind the boat either going to the sea depths or staying on the surface by buoys and then they are left there overnight. This brings in the fish for free food! Once they are hooked, they either bleed to death in the water or drown. Some struggle for hours before they are brought up to the boat. Large fish like swordfish and yellowfin tuna (these weigh hundreds of pounds), are pulled toward the boat by the line and then Fishers sink pickaxes into their fins or sides. Then they haul the animals aboard without hurting the hook. A multitude of fish, sharks, turtles, dolphins, birds, and other marine animals are injured and killed by long-lines every single year.
Using Gill Nets is another technique. These nets can be anywhere from 200 feet to over a mile long. Gill nets are said to create a "wall of death" because the top is held up by floats. Fish can't see the netting so they get stuck inside and when they try to get out they are caught by gills or fins, or they suffocate to death. Gill nets aren't checked and are trapped for days. A lot bleed to death and when they return back to the deck they get cut open while still alive. Fish that are caught in deep waters suffer from decompression or extreme pressure which can cause their stomachs to be forced out of their mouths. Purse Seines is another method which is the primary method for catching Tuna. It also catches dolphins which caused a huge outrage among the public, even though tuna feel just as much pain as dolphins. The edges of the net trap the tuna and then it is drawn up like a laundry bag. Their gills are often slit when they are completely alive. Lastly, there are bottom trawlers. These target species like orange roughy, cod, and haddock. Huge nets are pulled along the bottom of the ocean. These nets rip up the bottom of the ocean floor and stirs up sediment which leaves many damages on the environment like destroying endangered coral and killing animals and sea life. |
pros and cons There are few pros when it comes to commercial fishing and a multitude of cons. The only two major pros of commercial fishing include: 1. Feeding the world's demand for seafood. 2. A wonderful economic impact on world GDP. Demand on seafood is very high; some countries in the pacific get up to 70 percent of their animal protein from fish. Economically this industry employs over 200 million people around the world and makes over 80 billion dollars per year.
The cons for sure outweigh the pros of commercial fishing. One of the biggest concerns includes the negative impact on the ecology of the oceans. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization states that 70 percent of the world's fish species has been "depleted" or "fully exploited." Bluefin Tuna, Swordfish and many other species have reduced enormously in numbers. Aside from killing of multiple species, commercial fishing promotes the killing of marine life like sharks, dolphins, and turtles through the use of nets and lines. |