Climate Change, Waste, and the Fishing Industry
Photo by Fredrik Öhlander on Unsplash
Many view the path of climate change as primarily impacting the earth's atmosphere and its negative externalities on natural ecosystems.
However, many forget how contingent world economies are on environmental conditions.
For example, the commercial fishing industry is growing at an unsustainable pace and, coupled with climate change, is at risk of collapse. The term “renewable resource” does not mean endless renewal; without safe fishing practices, species are extracted faster than natural reproduction.
Coupled with these external factors, plastic pollution is wreaking havoc on ocean environments.
From fresh sushi to a family meal, and even cattle feed, many consume ocean species in various forms, but how is waste affecting this already depleting resource?
How do Microplastics Enter our Oceans
When we consider our waste as a consumer, infrequently do we imagine consuming it later.
Let's first imagine waking up one morning, hoping to wear our favorite shirt, and realizing we need to do a load of laundry. We get our detergent, put our clothes in a washing machine, turn it to our specific settings, and wait to put it in the dryer.
End of story?
No.
Synthetic clothing such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic release an average of 1,900 plastic microfibers into the water when washed. This water then enters sewage systems and local waterways to eventually enter navigable waterways.
Unfortunately, this type of pollution is allowed under the Clean Water Act in the United States due to the source counting as nonpoint. Nonpoint source means pollution that is hard to identify, such as car exhaust.
These microplastics are ingested by marine life. When we consume these species, we are putting ourselves at risk of exposure to "endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins and potential carcinogens" alongside other harmful chemicals.
Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash
World reliance on the fishing industry
Currently, the "Global Commercial Fishing Industry market account[s] for $240.99 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $438.59 billion by 2026."
The large amount of profit this industry brings in makes its participants hesitant to change current practices. From net and gear restrictions to days-at-sea limitations, fishermen often view these regulations as cutting into their profits.
Netflix documentaries such as A Plastic Ocean and Seaspiracy tackle the topic of plastic in the ocean in a user-friendly format; A Plastic Ocean with a consumer outlook, and Seaspiracy based on the fishing industry's direct waste production.
Current research surrounding king mackerel and the Brazilian sharpnose shark in brazil found that "from 2 to 6 plastic resin pellets were encountered in the stomachs of each fish, with sizes of from 1 to 5 mm, and with colors ranging from clear to white and yellowish."
Interestingly, the first known study exploring marine life's ingestion of plastic occurred in 1972. While these contaminants cause malnutrition, suffocation, and decreased mobility in fish, they significantly affect others in the food chain, including humankind.
What can we do as consumers?
A lot of small everyday changes add up.
Recycling isn't an all-encompassing solution. Many minor daily events, such as food waste in packaging, make it, so items you recycle do not end up in recycling plants.
What makes a difference is being conscious of the products we buy and how reliant we are on plastics.
Is a ziplock bag necessary? Or can we use more Tupperware containers?
Getting a daily coffee in a plastic cup adds up, but using a reusable option not only may give you a discount but also reduce your waste production as a consumer. Using reusable bags instead of opting for plastic bags, even in a retail setting.
The revisited concept of the tragedy of the commons (the "non-tragedy of the commons"), as proposed by Elinor Ostrum, refers to the masses exploiting a resource due to lack of communication and accountability.
Currently, our planet is hurting due to many of us not thinking we can make a difference, but we can.
The most important thing to do is to educate those around us. Make our families and friends conscious of our waste, and contact our representatives to push for more eco-friendly initiatives.
Companies and corporations produce large amounts of plastic waste, more so than the general populace. However, we are the individuals that line their pockets. If we demand change, perhaps we will see it.
A great resource to get started is provided by Columbia Climate School: State of the Planet.
All effort is felt by the planet, and viewing the issue as bigger than ourselves is no longer an option. We must all live as sustainably as we can within our individual means.
Photo by Paul Einerhand on Unsplash
Climate change and industry solutions
Most climate change science is predictive; thus, regulations protecting the industry from warming oceans, hypoxia events, and other oceanographic changes are harder to pass.
A lot of research is currently being done on improving fishery management, including a study being performed by UC Davis, in conjunction with Ocean Science Trust, studying the most sustainable fishing practices worldwide to improve fishing practices in California.
New fishing practices could include systems where participants buy and sell their allotted quota of fish stock to ensure fisherman's happiness and that Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for a given species is never exceeded. Systems like these ensure species are not overfished and that consumer demand is met.
As climate change continues to morph ecosystems everywhere, fishermen must prepare for species to decline and/or shift their range to find more habitable conditions. Adding flexibility measures to fishery management plans will be necessary moving forward.
To learn more about this topic, Ocean Science Trust and the Climate Change and Fisheries Working Group prepared a research paper titled Readying California Fisheries for Climate Change that goes in-depth about all possible situations climate change may cause for California fisheries and how they can be mitigated.
+9 Resources
Renee Cho |May, et al. “What You Can Do to Fight Plastic Pollution.” State of the Planet, 12 Feb. 2019, news.climate.columbia.edu/2018/05/11/can-fight-plastic-pollution/
Admin. “Admin.” Ocean Science Trust, Admin Https://Live-Oceansciencetrust.pantheonsite.io/Wp-Content/Uploads/2020/11/Horizontal_Transparency_cropped-300x70.Png, 19 Nov. 2020, www.oceansciencetrust.org/projects/flexiblefishingpermits/.
“Elinor Ostrom- the ‘Non-Tragedy of the Commons.’” Water, Land and Ecosystems, 3 Aug. 2020, wle.cgiar.org/news/elinor-ostrom-%E2%80%9Cnon-tragedy-commons%E2%80%9D.
EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act.
Good, Kate. “Do You Eat Fish? You Could Be Eating Plastic.” One Green Planet, One Green Planet, 1 Apr. 2021, www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/how-plastic-from-our-clothing-is-ending-up-in-fish/
Markets, Research and. “Global Commercial Fishing Industry Market to 2026 - Exhaustion of Marine Resources Are Inhibiting Market Growth.” Global Commercial Fishing Industry Market to 2026 - Exhaustion of Marine Resources Are Inhibiting Market Growth, 7 Feb. 2019, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-commercial-fishing-industry-market-to-2026---exhaustion-of-marine-resources-are-inhibiting-market-growth-300791788.html.
Miranda, Daniele de A., and Gustavo Freire de Carvalho-Souza. “Are We Eating Plastic-Ingesting Fish?” Marine Pollution Bulletin, Pergamon, 4 Jan. 2016, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X15302393?casa_token=znWPrlt39JsAAAAA%3AuUVjV33m6nPqrsEdozjziB39Unc-A-2Sw71jp6TbJN-fBvibaAyDZulJesVxw7sf3p4roVg.
Obermeyer, Charlie. “How Does Our Plastic Make It to the Ocean?” CleanUp News, CleanUp News, 6 May 2021, www.cleanupnews.org/home/how-does-plastic-end-up-in-the-ocean.
“Readying California Fisheries for Climate Change.” OceanScienceTrust.org, The California Ocean Protection Council, June 2017, www.oceansciencetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Climate-and-Fisheries_GuidanceDoc.pdf.