Callier-Garcia, Katie

About me

Hello! My name is Katie and I'm a second year student at UCSD studying Socio-Cultural Anthropology. I was born and raised in San Diego to a half English, half Mexican family. I'm an avid baker and am currently learning how to cook. I also love to travel, in the past year I have visited 5 countries: Mexico, Canada, Italy, France, and Spain.

My Interests:

-Music

-Baking

-Reading

-Swimming

Research Paper

The Ramifications of Overfishing: A Cultural Analysis

The topic I discuss in my research paper is the over-harvesting of fish and how that will inevitably affect the culture of our global society. Fish is consumed in almost every culture but with the current course of overfishing, we will soon experience a large shift in our diets. Aside from the dietary benefits seafood provides, there are also cultural meanings behind the significance of the seafood we consume. As a society, we will unavoidably face cultural and biological shifts due to the lack of sustained fish populations. This paper is an exploration of our seas, whether it may continue to support our population or come to a detrimental halt.

Word Count: 3239

PDF Version: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qBgWXn-5Vbo4S6mlosOW77gsmCecBeIluLOWviyMFn0/edit?usp=sharing

I. Introduction- Context

In recent years, the rise of misinformation regarding the health of our oceans have been circulating. There are various statistics that describe the state of our oceans as depleted beyond repair. For example, have you ever heard that by the year 2050 there will be no more fish? This is just one of many statistics that are spread as an attempt to create a hysteria that may finally bring the change we need to sustain our oceans. Though this misinformation may be spread with good intent, it undermines the importance of being well-educated and knowing change can still be made. Instead of hyper fixating on the mere possibility of a sea without fish, we should focus on the root issues of our depleted fish sources, how we are currently creating solutions, and the cultural impacts associated with it.

To begin, it is necessary that context is provided to fully understand the complete magnitude of overfishing. Overfishing, as defined by Merriam Webster is “To fish to the detriment of (a fishing ground) or to the depletion of (a kind of organism).” A fairly self explanatory word yet has considerable consequences. The cause for the rise in fishing is due to the quadrupling of the human population in just the last 50 years. It is reported that along with the rise in population, on average each person eats twice as much seafood now than a century ago (Ritchie et.al 2021). It makes sense that there has been an increase in fishing since so many people rely on it as a key component of their diets, however, the ocean has had very little time to keep up with the growing human population that utilizes it. Annually, the world produces up to 200 million tons of seafood, with some of the leading fishing countries being China, Indonesia, and India (Richie et.al 2021). These are all cultures with a high reliance on seafood in their diet but are also some of the most populated countries in the world. The amount of fishing does correspond to the population, however as mentioned before, the ocean alone can not sustain the diet of 8 billion people across the globe.

By far the leading country in fish production is China, not only is this the single largest country (as far as population goes), it also produces the most fish– around 60 million tons of seafood alone (Ritchie et al. 2021). In a report created by Our World in Data, it is reported that “Fish and seafood is an important source of nutrition for many people across the world. Not only does it provide an important source of protein, fish also contains other nutrients and vitamins that are important for overall health, such as vitamin A, calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids. Globally, 7% of total protein intake comes from seafood” (Ritchie et al. 202). Fish are an incredibly rich resource that supplies billions of people worldwide with a dense diet. To lose such a resource would be devastating to many communities and the health of those who have relied on seafood to support their diet. They would have to shift to another possible protein, many of which are also detrimental to the health of our natural world (i.e beef). According to author J.D. Sachs of The Age of Sustainable Development, “Global food insecurity is already bad enough, but it is likely to get worse before it gets better. Not only is around 40 percent of the world malnourished, but the global food supply is also becoming destabilized by climate shocks and other environmental ills (e.g., freshwater depletion threatening irrigation of crops), even as the world population continues to increase” (Sachs, 2015). So, as populations increase beyond the level our natural world can support, valued resources such as fish are put at risk of extinction.

There is no doubt that fish are important to the diets of humans, but they also maintain balance in the ecosystem. By losing key players in our natural equilibrium, the entire ecosystem is at risk of severe consequences, ultimately affecting human’s livelihoods. Any form of harm against natural resources will negatively impact our state on this earth. Common fishing practices, such as bottom trawls and drift netting, severely destroy the natural habitat which results in the reduction of fish biodiversity and biomass. All together, the consequences of overfishing and the destruction of habitats have led to the depletion of one third of the world's fish stocks (U. Rashid Samail et al. 2020). It is absolutely true that the state of our ocean and its creature populations are in an unhealthy state, but the future of our ocean is not dim yet, there is still time to regain its healthy and populated status.

Figure 1. “Top 10 Fishing Nations Worldwide, 2018” Measured in metric tonnes

Figure 2. Aquaculture surpassed wild fish catch back in 2019 which may hopefully give the ocean a break to repopulate and get back to a reasonable population level.

II. Body- AquaCulture

In the last 60 years, the mainstream use of Aquaculture has taken the fishing world by storm. Aquaculture is defined as the cultivation of aquatic animals and plants for food by means of controlled breeding (NOA, 2023). To put it simply, we farm fish and other sea creatures for the sole purpose of production. Though this may not be as common knowledge to non-fishers, aquaculture is actually the leading producer of seafood. The rapid growth of aquaculture has led to a sort of reprieve for the ocean as the cultivation of fish has been transferred from mainly the sea to mostly from controlled fish farms. The fast growth of aquaculture has actually resulted in more seafood being produced from these controlled fish farms than from wild fish capture (Ritchie et al. 2021). The future of our oceans may possibly be saved by the interference of humans in the fishing industry. By creating farms where populations are regularly monitored and maintained, wild fish are able to repopulate naturally as the pressure to catch wild fish decreases. This is a great sign for both humans and fish. We as a society do not have to forfeit a large part of our diets and culture while fish populations grow to a healthy level.

As the popularity of aquaculture continues to rise, there will be less importance related to wild catch fishing. This will steer us in a direction in which we no longer need to use harmful fishing gear in our oceans, therefore allowing for habitat regrowth and fish populations to repopulate. So despite the fact that at this moment oceans are considered well overfished, there is still the possibility that aquaculture may actually allow for the oceans to heal to the point that it could possibly provide more protein for us one day (Claude E. Boyd et al. 2021).

Though it is easy to simply say there are more fish being harvested from farms than there are from the wild, the magnitude of this statement is considerably impressive. Of the millions of fish in the ocean, we have successfully developed a process of fish farming that allows us to support over 50 percent of the human population's fish eating habits. According to the FAO, aquaculture surpassed capture fisheries in production of seafood for human production. In 2018, aquaculture contributed 52% of harvest weight to the totality of human seafood consumption (Claude E. Boyd et al. 2021).

This is just one example of an incredible solution to both human and the environment's problems. Aquaculture, if it follows on its current trajectory, may one day be able to completely support 100 percent of the human population, adequately ending the wild capture of seafood. We do not need to completely stop eating fish for there to be a positive impact on the environment, instead by ensuring our seafood is produced via aquaculture, there is the possibility that we may be able to end the harmful process of wild fisheries. It may not be the total solution to our overfishing problem, but it certainly supports our ecosystem's attempt to rejuvenate its populations.

III. Body- Are Fish Populations Endangered?

To ask the question of whether or not fish populations are endangered and at risk of falling into complete extinction is a difficult question to answer. There is no direct answer to this question. Whether one says yes or no, there is still much debate left to be had from either side. So, the very simple answer is: yes and no. There are most definitely some populations that have recently taken a large dive in their numbers (i.e sharks) but also very many that have supported themselves(i.e. salmon) through the overfishing crisis. There is no saying whether recently endangered animals will be able to repopulate to normal, so it's crucial to consider what purpose these animals serve in the ecosystem. From the tiniest of bottom dwellers to the largest predator of the ocean, the loss of any population will be heavily felt in the ecosystem. We cannot risk the possibility of losing any fish at this state since it may be the last hit needed to sink the possibility of resituating the oceans position of health. With all the work we as humans do to support our ecosystem, we must remember that endangered species are still at risk victims or our ill-treatment.

Some of the most at-risk species in our oceans are ones that are mostly caught as byproducts of fishing practices. Both rays and sharks are important parts of the ecosystem, however they are constantly caught in the cross-fire of fishers. Since only the 1970s, the population of rays and sharks has declined by 71%. This number is so great that three quarters of their entire population has been deemed as nearly extinct (Nathan Pacoureau, 2021). In addition, large predatory fish such as tuna and swordfish have also experienced very large declines. Over 90% of the global biomass of these fish have declined (Mansfield, 2010). The habitat destruction and rise in climate change has led to many species of fish to battle for survival.

As mentioned, there are some populations that are actually doing quite well. Many innovation is recent times (e.g. Aquaculture) have led to the possibility of a solution for our overfishing crisis. Though Aquaculture alone is a game changer to the world of fishing, the idea of genetically modifying the population of fish within the farms created a whole new nuanced piece to the puzzle. Through the development of “AquAdvantage,” we have created a sort of “cheat code.” Not only are these fish now being farmed, they are also growing at extremely rapid speeds. There is, however, considerable objection to the consumption of genetically modified food, there is no doubt that the quick production of one of the most sought after types of fish in a way that does not promote the use of wild catching techniques is certainly a positive for the wild population of salmon (Clifford, 2014). With the rising endangerment of many species of fish, maybe it should be considered that the rise in scientific developments to protect the wild populations may not be such a bad idea. Though a different approach, it may be time that we embrace innovative manners to promote growth of the natural world.

IV. Body- An Exploration of an Endangered Species: Whales

One species that absolutely cannot be denied as endangered is the Whale. For a millenia, whales have been sourced by Indigenous communities as a cultural element of their diet. Over time, what was once a glorified animal consumed by small Indigenous populations in a sustainable manner became a highly commodified protein. More recently, there has been an extraordinary high rise in “whaling”-- the hunting of whales.

In the year 1946, fourteen of the biggest whaling countries came to the agreement that they would officially outlaw the practice of commercial whaling. The name of this would be the International Whaling Commission. Despite the efforts to create an agreement to promote the conservation of such an important animal, many of these countries disregarded the agreement and found loopholes to continue their practices. Of these countries, Japan proved to be the most invested in continuing their common whaling (Aron et al. 2000).

In the 20th century alone, 3 million whales were killed for commercial whaling purposes. This depleted up to 99% of some populations of whales (Aron et al. 2000). The tragedy of this is still felt today. Many whales are still considered endangered, such as the blue, bowhead, and humpback whales (Aron et al. 2000). Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the IWC to ban whaling, they allowed for too many provisions to be made and the implementation of high whaling quotas. Of the provisions made, the one most abused was the “whaling for scientific purposes.” The idea is, if a country is killing whales for scientific purposes, they are allowed to continue with their practices. Understandably, under the guise of scientific whaling, many of the large whaling countries (predominantly Japan, but also followed by Norway and Iceland) have continued creating a market for whale meat (IFAW, 2014). Just as recently as 2017, there were 1,486 whales murdered to support the commodification of whale meat; hundreds of those whales were listed as simply “scientific purposes” killings.

There is still a question, however, of how Indigenous communities may maintain their cultural practices in a sustainable way? As communities that have practiced sustainable whaling for hundreds and thousands of years, is it ethical to ban them from also giving up whaling? Indigenous communities also have a large stake in maintaining whale populations, so how will their practices be respected? There is much to learn from Indigenous communities when it comes to understanding our relationship to nature. The way these communities have been able to continue their practices is because they do so in a respectful manner. They are not attempting to profit off of a taboo market but instead sustainably feeding their own populations and sharing their culture amongst themselves. There is some evidence that some whale populations may be able to sustain their population, however we can no longer allow for the commercialization of whale meat to continue. If we lose whale populations to extinction, our ocean’s ecosystem will face the consequences of our actions.

Figure 3. “Number of Whales intentionally killed by humans by year” The number of whales killed in a 10 year span. These are well after the agreement of the IWC.

V. Conclusion- Cultural Impacts

In a world without fish, there would be a major shift in our current day society. Moving past just the dietary changes, the very nature of our being would differ from what it is today. For a very, very long time, fish have been seen as parts of our social makeup. They started off as an “abomination” and inedible food that would be considered a dirty animal (Douglas, 1966). From there, culture shifted as it always does. The beauty of fish is that culturally, they are never settled into one idea of significance, the ideas are always evolving. Even the fish tank sitting in your room as a kid plays a cultural role on how we view sealife. In every culture, fish means something completely different to another. To the Japanese, whales are a spiritual and intelligent creature yet many people still consume them. In many Asian cultures the whale is also seen as good luck. In Muslim culture some fish are still considered inedible. Regardless though, we know that fish have always had some sort of significance. We have found cave drawings of fish to corroborate that as well. What possesses someone to engrave an image of a fish into a rock? Whatever it may be, it most certainly must be very important to them. In the end, to lose fish is to lose a part of our cultural identity.

Aside from the artistic cultural value, losing fish would be detrimental to our economy. It was reported back in 2018 by the FAO that 59.5 million people are employed as fishers (both aquaculture and wild catch fishers) (Ritchie et al. 2021).The job market for anything related to fish is incredibly high. Some peoples' entire lives rely on catching fish, by depleting the ocean so far to the point where it can no longer be harvested, millions of people would lose their entire careers. This will be felt especially hard in poor coastal communities that make any money they can on their fishing– they depend on fish for both food and employment. Overfishing affects the environment and the socio-economic implications that go with it. If all these people depend on fish yet we continue to neglect our duty towards protecting fish populations, both the fish and their dependents will suffer (Mansfield, 2021).

We must do our best to care for our environment. It is not too late to bring life back to our oceans and protect the earth from further damage, but we must be well educated on the reality of our actions. Many animals are on the verge of extinction and many habitats will never grow back to what they once were. It takes a village to bring change, but a village we are.

Figure 4. “Aboriginal cave paintings of fish at Injalak Hill at Gunbalanya (Oenpelli) in West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia”

Works Cited

“Overfish Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overfish.

Roser, Hannah Ritchie and Max. “Fish and Overfishing.” Our World in Data, Oct. 2021, https://ourworldindata.org/fish-and-overfishing#global-fish-production.

Sachs, Jeffrey and Ban Ki-Moon. Chapter 10 ‘Food Security’. The Age of Sustainable Development. Columbia Univ Press

Sumaila, U. Rashid, and Travis C. Tai. “End Overfishing and Increase the Resilience of the Ocean to Climate Change.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 9 June 2020, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00523/full.

US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “What Is Aquaculture?” NOAA's National Ocean Service, 2 Apr. 2019, https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/aquaculture.html.

Person. “‘Modern’ Industrial Fisheries and the Crisis of Overfishing: 13: Glo.” Taylor & Francis, Taylor & Francis, 17 Dec. 2010, https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203842249-13/modern-industrial-fisheries-crisis-overfishing-becky-mansfield.

Clifford, H. AquAdvantage® Salmon - a pioneering application of biotechnology in aquaculture. BMC Proc 8 (Suppl 4), O31 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1753-6561-8-S4-O31

William Aron 1 a, et al. “The Whaling Issue.” Marine Policy, Pergamon, 18 Apr. 2000, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308597X99000317.

“The Truth About Scientific Whaling.” IFAW, https://www.ifaw.org/journal/truth-about-scientific-whaling.

Douglas, Mary. "The abominations of Leviticus." In Food and culture, pp. 62-72. Routledge, 2012.

Figure 1:

Ritchie, Hannah. “The World Now Produces More Seafood from Fish Farms than Wild Catch.” Our World in Data, 13 Sept. 2019, https://ourworldindata.org/rise-of-aquaculture#:~:text=The%20world%20now%20produces%20more%20seafood%20from%20fish,Aquaculture%20production%20has%20now%20overtaken%20wild%20fish%20catch.

Figure 2:

Figure 3:

McCarthy, Niall, and Felix Richter. “Infographic: Whaling: No End in Sight.” Statista Infographics, 1 July 2019, https://www.statista.com/chart/9835/whaling_-no-end-in-sight/.

Figure 4:

Limited, Alamy. “Aboriginal Cave Paintings of Fish at Injalak Hill at Gunbalanya (Oenpelli) in West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia Stock Photo.” Alamy, https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-aboriginal-cave-paintings-of-fish-at-injalak-hill-at-gunbalanya-oenpelli-105110747.html.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse