Commercial Fishing Done the Sustainable Way

While fishing is a means to a living for some, for many others, it's a generational hobby passed on from their ancestors. Continuous oceanic fishing has led to a misbalance in the oceanic species. Certain species are going scarce, which is disrupting the marine ecosystem.

Overfishing

Fishermen are commonly focused on catching as much fish as their commercial fishing gear allows. This leaves certain species of fish struggling to maintain their natural population ratio in the sea. When certain species are always high in demand by consumers, they are unable to make up for their population by reproduction. The practice of fishing faster than the reproduction rate of a certain species is called overfishing. Another issue with commercial fishing is the bycatch. Bycatch is the accidental fishing of marine creatures that are caught and wasted. There are certain practices that commercial fishermen can adopt to reduce and resolve these issues. Here are a few.

1. Limited Trawling

Trawling is the method that involves dragging a large net behind a fishing boat to catch various species of fish and shellfish. This method can cause irreversible destruction to the marine ecosystem and result in huge amounts of bycatch. In areas where turtles and other creatures are high in number, trawling should not be practiced. By limiting the practice of trawling to areas with scarce marine populations, many species of marine animals can be saved.

2. Using appropriate commercial fishing gear

Longlining is a fishing method commonly used by fishermen in many areas. This method involves releasing a 50-60 miles long fishing line behind the fishing boat to catch multiple species of big fish. Many birds and endangered smaller fish can get caught on the hooks of this line and get killed as bycatch. To avoid this problem, fishermen need to lower the fishing line deeper into the water, so birds don't fall prey to these traps. The use of the right commercial fishing gear can ensure longlining results in limited bycatch.

3. Seine Fishing

This method of fishing involves a fishing net known as a seine, which is deployed in the water vertically. The bottom part of the net is closed and weighed down, and the top part floats above the water. Depending on how shallow you need to fish, the seine nets are deployed either from the shore or the fishing boat. This method only targets a certain portion of marine water level to catch fish from. The amount of bycatch caught by this method of fishing is also limited compared to other practices. This method also reduces the problem of overfishing and wastage.

4. Trolling

This method involves the use of multiple fishing lines with baitfish attached to each. These fishing lines are then dragged behind a boat to catch fish. This method is considered sustainable as bycatch can be caught and released more easily while trolling.

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