Lakhasly

Throughout history, people have thought of the ocean as a diverse and limitless source of food. Today, however, there are clear signs that the oceans do have a limit. Most of the big fish in our oceans-including many of the fish we A love to eat are now gone. One major factor is overfishing. People are taking so many fish from the sea that species cannot reproduce¹ quickly enough to maintain their populations. How did this problem start? And what is the future

for fish?

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SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM

For centuries, local fishermen caught only enough fish to feed their families and their communities. They used traditional gear like spears and hooks that 8 targeted a single fish at a time. However, in the mid-20th century, more people around the world became interested in fish as a source of protein and healthy fats.

In response to this, governments gave money and other help to the fishing industry.

As a result, the fishing industry grew. Large commercial fishing companies began catching huge quantities of fish. They made a lot of money selling the

When animals reproduce, they have babies.
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fish around the world. In addition, they started using new fishing technologies that made fishing ordet These technologies included sonar to locate fish, and dragging large nets along the ocean floor. Modern equipment enabled commercial fishermen to catch many more fish than local fishermen.

RISE OF THE LITTLE FISH

In 2010, the Census of Marine Life estimated that 90 percent of the big ocean fish populations are gone, mainly due to overfishing. In particular, commercial fishing has greatly reduced the number of large fish such as cod, tuna, and salmon. Today, there are plenty of fish in the sea, but they're mostly just the little ones. Small fish, such as sardines and anchovies, have more than doubled in number. This is largely because there aren't enough big fish to eat them.

This is a problem because, in order to be stable, oceans need predators, Predators are necessary to kill the sick and weak fish. Without them, there are too many unhealthy, small fish in the sea. This can cause serious problems for the sea's food chain and the health of our oceans.

A FUTURE FOR FISH?

A study published in 2006 in the journal Science made a prediction: If we continue to overfish the oceans, most of the fish that we catch now-from tuna to sardines-will disappear by 2050. However, we can prevent this situation if we restore the ocean's biodiversity.

Scientists say there are a few ways we can do this. First, commercial fishing companies need to catch fewer large fish. This will increase the number of predator fish in the sea. Another way to improve the biodiversity of the oceans is to develop aquaculture-fish farming. Growing fish on farms means that we catch fewer wild fish. This gives wild fish a chance to survive and reproduce. In addition, we can make good choices about what we eat. For example, we can stop eating the fish that are most in danger-like bluefin tuna-or only eat fish from fish farms. If we are careful today, we can still look forward to a future with fish.

Sonar technology uses sound waves to locate objects on or under the surface of the water. Predators are animals that kill and eat other animals.

"Biodiversity is the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species.

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