The link to the article is here.
This article is about how we can approach overfishing to insure survival of the fish. This solution is that we protect the older (and bigger) fish. The bigger fish can spawn many more births than a smaller fish, with heightened survival and growth rate. These bigger fish have a larger oil globule, a food source used by the babies when threatened with starvation. By reducing the number of big fish in the sea, we lose their superior offspring as well as shorten the spawning season, which further reduces the chance of the fish species’ survival. By continuing to catch larger fish, we are also altering the traits of the fish. Cod off the coast of Newfoundland had one of the largest populations of fish in the world. Their population has dwindled by 99 percent with 30-50 years of fishing. This has made the Cod smaller because they are being forced to mature at an earlier time. This is why we should not only protect the bigger fish, but the spawning fish as well. One way to protect the bigger fish is to get them back to the prime environmental spots that have been ruined by pollution. Another way is to use ocean zones to depict where not to fish, commercially fish, and recreationally fish.
Question I have from the reading?
Are the terms “ocean zone” and “marine protected areas” interchangeable?
What are other ways besides, establishing protection zones, can be used to ensure the survival of the bigger fish?
