Overfishing: the problem, solutions, and steps you can take to help

By Arlo Maslen, ‘22

I recently competed at a track meet in Oregon City, and I struck up a conversation with a fellow long-jumper about the lush environment around us. It really was nice scenery, filled with chest-high green grass and thick oaks. He said it reminded him of his home in the Oregon countryside, and I remarked that that is one of the most beautiful places I have ever set my eyes upon.

We enjoy green hills rolling into the sunset. Beautiful mountains, rivers, forests border us in all directions.

“You ever been huntin’?” He asked, “It’s amazing what Oregon has to offer west of the Cascades.”

While I have never hunted in a forest, I have enjoyed fishing off the coast of Oregon, as well in creeks and lakes.

Why do we have such bountiful bodies of water here in Oregon? Are these places over-exploited?

To frame the questions in a larger context, let’s take a look at how fishing is done on a world-wide scale. People around the globe are eating more and more fish each year, both individually and as a collective. In fact, from 1970 to 2022, not only did the world population double, but the average consumer ate roughly twice the amount of fish.

Currently, over one third of the world’s fisheries are overfished, meaning fish are caught faster than they can reproduce and grow. Worse yet, scientists at National Geographic predict that “global fisheries will collapse by 2048 unless we find a way to stop rampant overfishing.”

The most common way to catch fish around the world is a method known as trawling. It involved dragging a large net behind a fishing boat, which is very effective and very lucrative. About twenty-five percent of all fish are caught in this manner.

Commercial Fishing via Trawling (Source: https://issafrica.org/)

However, trawling has some major downsides. First, it results in bycatch, a phenomenon that results in the capture of fish and other sea life that is unwanted. For example, a boat that trawls for tuna may (by accident) catch dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks. These species cannot legally be sold, and may end up dead and unused.

Although overfishing and bycatch threaten the health of the world’s oceans, fishing here in Oregon is comparably sustainable. For one, the regulations imposed on the fishing industry are quite strict, and reduce the number of fish people can catch. Trawling is also banned along the West Coast of the US, so bycatch is not a major issue here.

To gain a better understanding of the decision making behind fishing laws, I interviewed Gway Kirchner, an Oregon Coast representative of The Nature Conservancy, an organization prioritizing the health of fisheries around the world. Her main involvement in the organization is as a facilitator. She brings together fishermen, researchers, and governmental figures to implement successful policy.

“The Nature Conservancy collects loads of data, whether that is electronic monitoring of fish, or data dealing with the market.” Kirchner says, “With that data, we predict how fish populations will look in the future, and implement appropriate laws.”

Right now, The Nature Conservancy and other environmentalist organizations are working hard to ensure the future of the fishing industry. However, looking forward, Kirchner believes the largest threat to fish worldwide is climate change. Her and her colleagues have already begun to see small changes in salmon, as well as domoic acid poisoning.

Organizations involved in sustainable fishing secure the future of the next generation of fish. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has ongoing restoration projects. These efforts range from tracking population sizes and locations of various fish species to rebuilding damaged habitats, enabling easier spawning.

Other broad solutions to overfishing are in the works, too. One such solution is a process called catch-sharing. Catch-sharing puts an overall cap on how many fish one fishery may catch based on data acquired about the fish population. The cap will be determined by what scientists expect will lead to a sustainable fishery.

Here’s a striking statistic on catch-sharing that you may find hopeful: According to The Revolution Movie, “A study of American and British Columbian catch shares systems found that over a decade, the total allowable catch increased 19 percent, by-catch decreased by 66 percent, and fishermen made 68 percent more money while having one-third fewer accidents on the job”.

Although Oregon has locally sustainable fishing, most food consumed here is imported, and foreign countries may not have as sustainable policies. As consumers, we can make a difference.

The first thing you can do is spread word. Companies will be inclined to sell sustainable fish if that’s what consumers demand. We see car companies slowly shift their attention to electric vehicles due to higher demand, and the same can be done for fisheries and supermarkets.

The type of fish we buy also has an impact. For example, don’t buy bluefin tuna (even though it is delicious), since tuna is overexploited and in many parts of the world, illegally caught. Instead, you could buy locally stocked salmon, or another more sustainable option.

Kirchner is a huge advocate of sustainable fishing, but pushes back against the idea of “never eating fish.” She says that money supporting sustainable fisheries can end up funding research efforts, which are beneficial for everyone. In her opinion, the most important step anyone can take in becoming a more responsible consumer is to learn where their fish come from.

Similarly, it helps to support smaller markets. If everyone is fishing salmon to extinction, for example, buy a different, perhaps less popular kind of fish. Easier said than done, of course.

How can we know what fish to buy? Fortunately, Whole Foods has a solution, where they label their fish so consumers can identify how the fish was caught. Fish with green or yellow labels are caught sustainably, whereas fish with red labels are not.

We owe it to the world’s oceans to support, so why not try our best?