Why is fishing and mining sustainable?
Answers
Answer:
Sustainable Fishing
A growing demand for fish as a source of food, from an ever-increasing global population, has led to the over-exploitation of (and increased competition for) already diminishing fish stocks. Empty oceans mean empty stomachs – but also, in turn, empty pockets for those who rely on fishing for their livelihoods. A more sustainable approach is therefore urgently required.
Ending hunger requires adequate access to food not only on land, but also in the sea. Although modern food systems are predominately land-based, around three billion people around the world rely on fish as a major source of animal protein, with a further four billion eating seafood to supplement other protein sources. As well as calories, fish deliver vital vitamins and nutrients that are difficult to acquire through other food. Fishing is also essential to the livelihoods of around 12% of the global population, with 90% of these communities being dependent on small-scale fishers.
The conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources, as addressed by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14), is therefore fundamental for ensuring a resilient and reliable food system – and integral to achieving the zero hunger goal of SDG2.
Today, fishing faces multiple challenges from a range of factors. Population growth and changing dietary patterns have caused the per capita consumption of fish to more than double over the past 50 years, with supply unable to keep up with demand – resulting in overfishing of marine stocks.
Due to irresponsible fishing practices, more than 30% of global fish populations have been exploited beyond their natural restoration rates. Increasingly selective consumer demand has exacerbated this, meaning that population numbers of several species (including Atlantic bluefin tuna and swordfish) have reached dangerously low levels, while the average size of some fish, such as cod, has markedly decreased over the past few decades.
Problems associated with overfishing are worsened by trawling, which can cause ecosystem destruction due to bycatch (the incidental capture and death of marine life), with 7.3 million tonnes of marine life – including fish, mammals, sea turtles and seabirds – being caught incidentally every year, and usually discarded dead as waste. Another issue is ghost fishing, whereby fishing gear that has been lost or discarded at sea continues to trap and kill marine life. Both bycatch and ghost fishing contribute to a decline in marine biodiversity, with adverse consequences for food systems.
Addressing the issues
There are legal solutions aimed at preventing over-exploitation of fish stocks – such as fishing quotas, seasonal fishing, protected areas, and controls around catch size of individual species. However, in order to be effective, these must be accompanied by the appropriate tools and technologies to monitor the catch (including its species composition, size, weight and location), while regulating irresponsible fishing behaviour.
While industrialised, commercial fishing threatens marine stocks on a global scale, more traditional fishing practices (often relied upon by in developing nations as a primary food source) are also being challenged by climate change, with the distribution of marine species being disrupted due to global warming. More innovative and resilient fishing gear is therefore required to maximise yields for subsistence fishers, as well as technology enabling easier identification of fish shoals. Smarter, more sustainable alternatives to ocean fishing, such as aquaculture, are also becoming increasingly important as a response to dwindling stocks.
Explanation:
Answer:sustainable fishing ensures that the fisheries continue to thrive in marine and fresh water habitat. Ya it is sustainable. Mining growth can be substantiablity by providing raw materials, generating wealth and employment that can serve as a bridge to sustainability
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