“As a method of mass destruction, fishing with modern technology is the most destructive activity on Earth.”1
“It is no exaggeration to say that overfishing is changing the world. Overfishing, as a direct result of the demand by consumers in the world's wealthier countries, threatens to deprive developing countries of food in order to provide delicacies for the tables of rich countries, and looks set to rob tomorrow's generations of healthy food supplies so that companies can maintain profit today. Overfishing has been, and no doubt will be again, a cause of war and international disputes. It is a force in world trade and international relation, and a corrosive agent in domestic politics.” 2
The ocean is huge. We’ve already mentioned that it covers two thirds of our planet's surface. So how do we police that area to make sure that people treat it with respect?
Here’s something to think about: from the moment a fishing vessel leaves port to when it returns, how do you monitor what it did? How do we know what the fishermen caught? Is everything they bring back declared? What happens if what they are doing is illegal? Who checks on that? And if it is illegal...what is the penalty?
The problem is that there isn’t a ‘UN Ocean Conservation Police Force’ patrolling our planet's seas to make sure that people are doing what they should be doing (like we have in almost every land-based part in the world). If poachers were killing endangered species of animals or cutting down trees in your local forest, they’d likely be caught, put to trial and charged heavily. Killing a white rhino, a tiger or a panda is a very serious crime. But the ocean, the ocean is different. The same rules don’t apply. Having a ship that you can take anywhere is, as Jack Sparrow correctly said at the end of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, “...freedom”. The ocean is a place where men can escape responsibilities and laws.
Basically anyone can take a sea worthy vessel and, upon leaving the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) coastal zone of any country at 200 miles offshore, enter the open ocean and do or catch whatever they want.
The good news is that things are changing. Some laws exist in parts of the world that, at least on paper, protect designated areas with rules and marine conservation restrictions. But realistically we could do a LOT BETTER. Marine Conservation is often way down the list of priorities. There is hope for a positive future though: designated Marine Parks like Galapagos, Ecuador, or internationally agreed upon sanctuaries like the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in the Antarctic Ocean provide a protective boarder that sets out what can and cannot be done within certain areas.
Once again, it comes down to good education and even better policing. Still, there are not nearly enough policing efforts regarding sharks, even the most endangered ones.
1 & 2 – 'The End Of The Line. How Overfishing Is Changing The World And What We Eat.' Charles Clover, (2006). There's also a film with the same title featuring Clover, for more check out End Of The Line
