Mini Essay: Ocean of Nothing

Overfishing is a stepping-stool to great destruction. The article states Seafood are predicted to become a rarity and to would be auctioned for a high price in the future. Also, 90% of cod and tuna species are said to be in near extinction. But, others argue that fishermen cod and tuna are not endangered in other parts of the world, and that some of the fishes that were caught are already deceased.

       The article: Oceans of Nothing stated that many fishermen are going overboard with their catches. Boris Worm, a marine biologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada studied for 50 years along with a team of 13 other researchers from all over the world came to an agreement, by the middle of this century, fishermen will have almost nothing left to catch. Another marine biologist named, Stephen Palumbi from Stanford University predicted that, “None of us regular working folk are going to be able to afford seafood” and “It’s going to be too rare and too expensive”. Also, for three decades, the fish industry has increased four times to it’s catching, up to 30 million tons, and the price of it increased to nine times it’s original, up to $71 billion. Each day, more and more people would take the liking of seafood. Statistics shows that 90% of cod and tuna are fished to extinction. Attempting to resolve the complication of overfishing, fish and shrimp farms were the resolution but throughout the way, it ended up damaging the reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds where popular fishes (the ones that are popular on demand) hatch. Johnson did not agree with the skeptics, he insisted that cod and tuna are not instinct in other parts of the world and that fishes that caught by fishermen are already dead, to add on, the statistics shows 29% of the fished species have already collapsed.

       Overall, there are no agreements towards this situation. Many experts have different opinion and views to overfishing. Boris Worm and Stephen Palumbi are looking towards this situation in a negative way, claiming that popular fishes such as cod and tuna are near to extinction and that seafood would become rare and expensive in the future. But, Johnson on the other hand think these people are looking through a bad perspective, he counterclaimed that 29% of fishes have already collapsed.